The Failures' Journey
by IrateWritreviewer
Summary: Failures exist everywhere. It's just that people won't accept that they are failures and strive on to be the extraordinary. When little Naruto defends a lone Chimchar who was born without the usage of fire, he joins the Chimp Pokemon into an adventure in Kanto, in where both of them will experience adventure, friendship, action and the drive to prove themselves in the world.
1. Prologue - The Beginning

**EDIT: This has been edited, adding the same structures like the later chapters. I added a few more words and the current breaks.**

* * *

"_Keep going, Naruto! Let your flames of youth burn strong!"_

_Despite the questionable phrase, the fists and open palms kept striking the logs with incredible vigour, agility and strength. Blonde hair kept swerving and blue eyes completely focused with drive as the strikes began to chip the log. In one final push, he cocked his fist back and, with immense power, swung his fist towards the log…_

"_RAAAAAAAAAH!"_

**_SMASH!_**

… _and broke the log in two. The splinters flew everywhere and the part that broke off flew in the air and landed in a 'thump'. It was almost as if time slowed down as the top half of the log flew to the side. Panting could be heard as the young blonde fighter struggled to stand. Sweat poured down his face, adorned with three whisker marks on his cheeks. Bandages on his hands were damaged, drenched with sweat and blood freely dripping. His karate robe was ruined beyond belief. After a few silent moments, his legs gave way and his eyes closed, but he felt himself caught. All he heard was soft, yet uplifting praise from his mentor and proud auras from his friends._

"_You really have done it, Naruto, my student. I'm proud."_

**.o0o.**

'_It only felt like yesterday… like we were family. A real family… no neglecting… '_

Black loose clothing flowed freely in the wind. A black-cloaked boy stood out at the top of a hill, the wind freely flowing in his face. His hands were outfitted with black fighting gloves and forearm warmers. Both of them were not moving, not twitching in the slightest movement, like they were waiting with anticipation. His feet were adorned in black combat books and leg warmers, planted firmly into the ground. His hair, dyed black, and his eyes, with red contacts, looked downwards into the rocky town up ahead. A sign nearby had the words that stated the city's name: "Pewter City".

"Chimchar, it's time! Are you ready!?" The boy called out from behind. He felt a small, but tough, hand touch my shoulder, then the full weight of the Chimp Pokemon. Black irises, a tuft of red fur and a round face, with a red flaming headband looked forward at the town with slight amazement. It has been a while since they reached civilization, and for good reason, too.

**.o0o.**

"_Hah! Look at him! This little loser!"_

"_He can't even breathe fire! What kind of fire type is he if he can't use fire?!"_

"_It was fate that made him like this. A failure!"_

_A group of kids and Pokemon closed in on the Chimchar, the Chimp Pokemon. His black eyes had tears that ran down his cheeks. His big ears were dirty and a bit of blood came from its mouth. Its body were covered in bruises and stains of dirt. But the biggest eyebrow-raiser is the fact that there was no fire behind the Chimchar. Just a red mark and a small stub of a tail._

_The Chimp Pokemon couldn't remember its past, but he knew that it was born with that defect. Ostracized from its family, hated by peers and Pokemon alike, he felt like a loner and wanted to discover why he was born like this... like a failure. Here he was, being fodder to the large crowd of kids and Pokemon. Being beaten up, insulted for its performance in battles, being drenched by Water Pokemon, and overall it was a virtual pariah to the kids. Perhaps… it should just give in… maybe it was a failur-._

"_LEAVE IT ALONE!"_

_Its eyes shot up and felt a shadow cover him. All it saw was a boy, with blond hair and blue eyes, wearing a red shirt and cargo pants, with his arms spread protectively around the Chimchar. Afterwards though, the Chimp blacked out._

**.o0o.**

Chimchar frowned at the memory of the past, as it brought back nightmares that could scar anybody's mentality. At the same time, the frown raised into a serene smile to its face as it could remember its first and only human friend and trainer. Its hands, wrapped in weighted bandages, gripped and tightened with excitement as it could finally prove its worth and existence. Its feet, also wrapped in weighted bandages tensed.

"Chim…" Chimchar murmured quietly. However, silence was the only response it got.

"Chimchar…" The boy's voice became deathly all of a sudden, which slightly confused and unnerved the Chimp.

"Char?"

"I said…" The boy's voice suddenly belted out, "ARE YOU READY, CHIMCHAR!?" The sudden rise of volume, vigour, character and youthful flames burst out of the boy.

"CHIM CHIMCHAAAR!" The Chimchar raised its voice as it yelled out its agreement, rather than shrieking back at the sudden change. It has waited for this, and so did its black-cloaked trainer.

"Great! Onwards to the Pewter City Gym, or my name isn't Naruto!" The blond, now known as Naruto, walked on towards civilization, with Chimchar, his best friend, on his shoulder.

* * *

**Hello everyone! Irate here with another story. Could be a possible one-shot, but who knows? It IS "Just a thought".**

**Whoever was waiting for the next chapter of "A Road to One's Ideals", I'm sorry. It has been a long and arduous time, like work, uni, tutors, classes, and creating my own Let's Play! Keep an eye out for that! I'm not starting with a Pokemon game though, so don't get your hopes up. **

**I don't think anybody in this Pokemon x Naruto crossover story list ever done a story where the Pokemon sorta have the movesets and possibly the behaviour of the characters from Naruto. Also, you never see a fire Pokemon who cannot breathe fire in the anime innately (Don the Charizard does not count). Don't worry. Little Chimchar here (I won't name Pokemon) will have other means of attacking.**

**You can already tell that the Chimchar has the attitude and style of Rock Lee. I always saw a Rock Lee/Maito Gai persona in Infernape, especially in the anime. Plus Gai makes an appearance! Aren't you happy?**

**Anyway, we shall see if this will continue on! Happy Holidays!**


	2. Chapter 1 - The First Lesson

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon or Naruto. However, the twists are all me. This has been edited on the October 6th. It's just to get rid of a few grammar mistakes and the Japanese amalgamations.  
**

_"So… why can't he breathe fire, Gramps?"_

_Little Naruto, sporting a couple of wounds, had a worried look plastered with his face, as he stared at both the wrecked Chimp Pokemon and the Pokemon professor wearing a lab coat, fixing up the bruises of said Pokemon._

_Professor Hiruzen Sarutobi, a very old professor past his prime, was working on the injuries of the unconscious Chimchar, during the middle of a stormy day. The old man had a grey goatee, balding grey hair and wrinkled skin. His large smoking pipe was in his mouth, puffing out smoke. He is the most famous professors of the Kanto region and one of the professors around the world, like Professor Onoki of Johto and Professor A of Sinnoh. The professor is also the headmaster of the prestigious Konoha Pokemon Academy, where Naruto has attended. The littler blond boy has looked up to the old man as if he was a grandpa, and wanted to learn many things about him._

_One of the facts was that Sarutobi was once a legendary Pokemon trainer during his prime. The fact was proven true when the professor showed his Charizard, a large Lizard Pokemon with orange scales, a draconic visage, a white underbelly, snout, wings and a tail with a large flame on its back. Naruto could just tell from its eyes and the powerful aura that his jiji was right. Many other students were skeptical and a couple of students even outright denied his claims of the championship (like a certain black-haired emo that comes to mind)._

_Another fact was that the professor had a young grandson named Konohamaru, after the Konoha Pokemon Academy. He was only 4 years old, so there was not much he could do in terms of understanding Pokemon deeply yet. But he looks up to Naruto with stars of amazement in his eyes whenever he sees Naruto do amazing things, like communicate with Pokemon and bond with them easily._

"… _I did not think that this could happen…" The old man mumbled to himself as he finished looking at the X-ray photos, checking on Chimchar's bone structure and organs to make sure they were not damaged, only to find a shocking discovery that made his pipe drop to the ground. And Naruto knew, 'when Jiji's pipe falls, something bad has happened.'_

"…_Gramps? Is… is Chimchar…?" Naruto asked, hoping that death is the least of his worries._

"_Hmm… it's fine, Naruto. Just rest and a spray of a Potion will help. It's just…" Sarutobi trailed off. He has never seen such a phenomenon before, but it was indeed there, and it cannot be denied._

"_It's just what?!" Naruto asked again, a little impatient. He calmed a little that the Chimp wasn't going to die, but seeing the pipe fall still had him on the edge._

"_The reason why Chimchar cannot breathe fire is possibly... well, take a look, Naruto." The old man offered space to Naruto to take a look on the X-ray photos on Chimchar's diagram of organs. Sarutobi then pointed a wrinkled finger on a picture of an oddly shaped stomach in the middle of Chimchar's belly. "That is his stomach, a place where he should be able to produce fire. A certain part of the organ, however, is missing and that is what is causing Chimchar's fire power to be non-existent." He explained to Naruto, before pulling out a diagram of a different Chimchar, but this time, the stomach looked bigger and was split into two parts._

"_Now normally, when food and acid goes into the stomach of a Chimchar, it breaks down into fuel. That is where the second part of Chimchar's stomach comes into play. The scientifically named flame sac is where the chemical energy from the foods and acids transform into fuel that connects directly into Chimchar's rectum and produces the flame. For some reason… this Chimchar here does not have that organ… It is almost like Chimchar's defected..." Sarutobi finished explaining and sighed. If Chimchar was awake, then the old man would give it his condolences. How cruel can the fates be?_

_Hiruzen then picked up the X-ray photos and turned to look at Naruto, and the emotions he saw on Naruto's face widened his eyes._

"_Defected…? You mean… a failure…?!" Naruto snarled at the old man, his little hands curled into fists. Sarutobi knew it was a sensitive subject to utter the word 'failure'._

"_Naruto… I did not mean that." He calmly stated, while seeing Naruto visibly calm down, but kept the frown on his face and crosses his arms in disgust._

_Naruto always did get riled up when the students called him the dead-last. He could tolerate being called something as low as the 'dobe', the loser or the dead-last. But being called a failure, Naruto would not take it. He taught some of the boys a lesson on that, like when he pranked a duck-haired boy into being roasted by Sarutobi's Charizard, another with buckets of Mudkip and Poochyena piss, and a certain 'white-eyed prick' (a quoted nickname from Naruto himself) by locking him in the school freezer overnight... _

_Repeatedly._

_Because he wouldn't shut up._

_Ever._

_All because they called him a failure, and Naruto will not take that, and for some reason, he isn't willing to let it go. "Brings up bad memories," the blond would answer back and was left at that._

_Naruto then walked up to the bed where Chimchar laid and looked at him with somber eyes. "Chimchar… he's like me. Being called a failure because of a reason it doesn't know or of something out of its control. But you shouldn't stay down because of that." Sarutobi was intrigued by Naruto's words, all because he knew that feeling himself._

"_Really…"_

"_Yes really! Didn't you experience something like that, Gramps?" Naruto's head snapped towards his grandpa figure, only to see him deep in thought._

"_Yes… Pokemon I caught were sometimes uncooperative or fearful of certain elements of the world. But we learn to overcome them and that's what makes us grow." Sarutobi looked into space as he recollected his memories as a trainer. It certainly was a wild and interesting time when Charizard kept being defiant and flaming his face when he was young. "But what does this have to do with you and Chimchar?"_

_When the professor looked back, he saw a serious look on the 7-year-old Naruto's face. His eyes were sharpened and his mouth in a stern frown. It was so unlike him. "When you reach an unbreakable hurdle, Jiji, you don't keep ramming into it. You learn to go over the hurdle and become stronger in your own way. Chimchar doesn't need fire to prove that he's the best… There is always another way…" Naruto's face then softened up, his eyebrows relaxed and eyes somber. The boy turned to the bedded Chimp Pokemon, still asleep, and smiled. "Besides…" He turned back to his Jiji, with a bright smile._

"_It takes a failure… to know a failure best."_

_Sarutobi widened his eyes in amazement on how far Naruto's maturity has come. He has always known Naruto as a smiling boy, who isn't one to be messed with, but to see this side of him… it felt like he skipped a part of his life to see a man standing in his place._

'_Reminds me of Minato… you must be proud of your son, if you ever acknowledged him…' Sarutobi thought. For some reason, he felt younger when he heard this..._

_Unbeknownst to the two, the lone Chimchar has one of its eyes opened and saw the blond boy give his speech. Smiling at the display, it closed its eyes and went back to sleep._

**.o0o.**

'_No matter what, we WILL be the best, Chimchar!'_

"So this is Pewter City..." Naruto looked at Pewter City with amazement, even if it was not that spectacular of a town to other people.

"Chaaaar…" Chimchar looked around in wonder as well, just like Naruto. Both of them have not seen civilization for a good three years. All they did was be in the forests, traveling in the wild and train with their new wandering green-spandex-wearing sensei as apprentices. When he found them almost exhausted and hungry, he brought them in his humble abode and took care of them. When they woke, they immediately noticed him tending to a campfire and took note of his… eccentric personality.

'_FLAMES OF YOOOOOOOUTH…!'_ An eccentric voice echoed loudly in Naruto's mind, suppressing it as best as he can.

"You ready for the first gym, Chimchar?" Naruto asked with brimming confidence.

"Chaha!" Chimchar affirmed that declaration.

"Good! Let's show them our flames of power!" **(1)** Both trainer and Pokemon fist-bumped each other, feeling each other's power and confidence. It was their sign of friendship and that they were partners for their career as trainers.

Naruto then opened the stone doors to reveal darkness inside. Tightening his fist, he entered inside. As the doors shut behind him, he began to notice the rocky terrain beneath him. Naruto and Chimchar were still standing strong and confident…

"**So you must be a challenger, I see?"**

But apparently, the gym leader must love doing theatrics. Naruto stopped his walking immediately and instinctively backed away into a fighting stance, with him and Chimchar trying to see where the voice is coming from.

"Yes. My name is-." Naruto froze. He completely forgot about this. How could he have not done this in the first place?

He needed a new alibi.

**.o0o.**

_**Pitter-patter pitter-patter**_

_The rain kept splashing down from the heavens to the fertile Earth. The tiny Pokemon who lives in the woodlands ran for shelter or back into their homes. The only sounds were the rain, and the howling winds._

_**Pitter-patter pitter-patter**_

_Leaning by a large tree trunk, a little Naruto could be seen holding a bandaged Chimchar, still asleep. He was panting as he just got a safe spot after running away with said Pokemon. He didn't know what condemned him to run away. He didn't know what condemned him further to take Chimchar too._

_**Pitter-patter pitter-patter**_

_Maybe he should go back to Konoha Academy? Back to his Grandpa's arms? Bring Chimchar back to its home?_

"_No." He couldn't. After the treatment for what the Chimp Pokemon got? There was no way he wanted this Chimchar to suffer again. To be beaten to the ground for something that is not its fault… Naruto would take it away to safety, even if it made him wanted._

_Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto would disappear, but for the sake of one Pokemon he could relate to._

"_Don't worry… I'll take care of you…"_

_**Pitter-patter pitter-patter**_

**.o0o.**

"**Name is?"**

"M-Menma." Naruto sputtered out, but kept his confident visage. It was the only name he could think of that was related to ramen. Oh how he loved ramen, but that is another story for another time.

"**Menma-san, hm? Never heard of that name… Doesn't matter."**

By now, spotlights turned on to reveal a man standing under the light. Naruto turned around only to widen his eyes. A man with hair tied up in a ponytail was in the spotlights, with a serious look on his face. He had a black turtleneck, green vest, sandals, blue pants, blue gloves, tanned skin and a noticeable horizontal scar across his nose. The black-haired boy and Chimp Pokemon could say nothing as they recognized the visage of the man in front of them.

"I-Iruka-sensei?"

"Eh? How did you know that was my name, Menma?" Iruka tilted his head in slight confusion and narrowed his eyes. He was suspicious of this… Menma character… Naruto felt those eyes boring into his skull.

"W-W-Weeelllll…"

"Chaaaaaar…" Naruto and Chimchar frantically tried to come up with a reason, but nothing came up. Both of them were beginning to sweat as Iruka began to walk towards them.

"Who are you really?" Iruka's eyes narrowed further. Naruto was getting closer into hot water, and he could literally feel the head coming from Iruka's heat-filled glare. But as Iruka got closer, his eyes then widened at the identity of this… Menma character. "Could you really be…?" Naruto closed his eyes as he felt himself shrink as he thought he figured out his identity. The blond boy felt as if he was caught red-handed.

"I…I'm so-…"

"…A FAN?! OF ME?!" **(2)**

Naruto stopped in his tracks and just stared at his ex-sensei with a dumb expression. 'What…?'

"Oh it has been so long since I had a fan! No one really appreciates me anymore since I'm usually the first Gym for beginners. But it doesn't matter! I have a fan!" Iruka had a large goofy smile on his face and puffed his chest in pride. Naruto and Chimchar could only trip and fall over. "Iruka! Gym Leader of Pewder City and teacher of the Konoha Pokemon Acad-!"

"It doesn't matter!" Naruto interrupted, wanting this ridiculous tirade to end. Iruka looked at him and, seeing the embarrassing look on his face, decided to end his little news line.

"So you're not-?"

"No Iruka-sense… I mean, Iruka-san. I'm not a fan. Instead…" Naruto sighed and looked away, cursing himself inwardly with the slip of the tongue. He can't give away his true identity. Not now… "I came here to challenge you, Iruka, gym leader of Pewter City!" He pointed a finger and smirked, feeling his confidence coming back to him.

"Chim-char!" Chimchar cried out and raised its fist, feeling the confidence coming back once again. Iruka can only smile at the duo, then smirk at the challenge issued.

"Alright then, Menma! I, Iruka Umino, hereby accept your challenge! We shall have this battle immediately!" Iruka stated and snapped his fingers. More lights turned on suddenly and Naruto and Chimchar suddenly found themselves in the middle of a rocky battlefield. Mid-sized boulders arranged the arena.

"Alright!" Naruto pumped his fist up, with Chimchar along the way, as he made his way to the end of the battlefield, with Iruka on the other side. This is it. His first battle against a Gym Leader. Both of them were prepared for this, from the training to the trainers they fought. Now it was their first ultimate test.

"Okay, Menma, are you ready?!" Iruka called from the other side. Naruto nodded, and Iruka smiled. "Since this is your first time, I'll give you the rules! It is a 2-on-2 battle and you can substitute as many times as you want! I, however, am not allowed! That's basically it! Now let us begin the session!" Iruka then tossed out a Pokeball and revealed a small rock Pokemon, with eyes, a mouth and two arms.

"Geodude!" It cried out in a curt voice. Naruto then nudged Chimchar on the shoulder and nodded when the Chimp looked at him, waiting to be sent out. Chimchar then hopped off Naruto and stood up straight against the Geodude, something that confused Iruka.

"Um Menma, you know that Fire types are weak to Rock, right?" Iruka asked in a deadpanned voice. Menma couldn't be that stupid.

"Think again, Iruka! You're the one who should be worried!" Menma countered in a brash voice, with his eye twitching. Chimchar also narrowed its eyes and tightened its fist. "Now Chimchar! **Focus Punch**!"

Chimchar then gripped its fist tightly, gathering energy within. Half a second later, the Chimchar charged in with its fist glowing blue.

"Egh!" Iruka then snapped himself out of his stupor and issued a command to Geodude. "Use **Mega Punch**, Geodude!"

Geodude cocked its fist back as it glowed white and charged. However, it did not have enough time to power its fist up and as they both collided, Chimchar's **Focus Punch **broke right through the **Mega Punch** and crashed right into Geodude.

The Rock Pokemon cried out in pain, but Chimchar was not done yet. The Chimp's other hand rammed the Geodude's face with a palm strike. Geodude was sent flying and crashed into a nearby boulder.

'_Whoa! I seriously underestimated that Chimchar!'_ Iruka thought to himself, stunned by the speed and power the Chimchar had. He then saw the stance Chimchar was using. Its legs were bent and its torso was lowered. Its right hand was in front of Chimchar, flattened out with the palm facing its face, while the left was behind Chimchar, curled in a fist. **(3) **_'What stance could that be? I've never seen it before. What kind of Chimchar is this?'_

"Geodude! Get up and use **Rollout**!" Iruka trying a different strategy as the Geodude hopped out of the debris and curled itself into a ball and began to charge right at Chimchar. Naruto however smirked at this.

"Dodge with **Acrobatics**, and power a **Focus Punch** at the same time!" Naruto commanded calmly. Chimchar tightened one of its fists and dodged the incoming Geodude the first time with handstands, cartwheels and flips, all while gathering energy in one of its fists.

'_The Chimchar is bound to slip up soon, but…'_ Iruka had a small feeling that wasn't going to be it. Menma was still smirking. _'What is he planning?'_

As the fifth Rollout charged in like a speeding bullet tank that can't stop, Naruto finally called out.

"Chimchar, **Grass Knot**! Then, smack'em!"

Chimchar's eyes glowed green and two blades of green grass popped out of the ground and tied together firmly. Geodude couldn't stop and collided with the knot pretty hard, and was sent flying towards Chimchar. With the coup de grace, Chimchar then landed the heavily powered **Focus Punch**, and directed the punch on Geodude towards the ground.

A large cloud of dust erupted and Iruka shielded his eyes. When it cleared, Chimchar was clearly standing, and its fist was connected to a Geodude who had swirls in its eyes. "Geo…" The Geodude weakly said.

"Alright Chimchar!" Naruto called out enthusiastically and pumped his fist out. Chimchar calmly bowed to the Geodude respectively, who weakly returned it with a thumbs-up. Iruka can only stare as he brought out Geodude's Pokeball and returned it.

'_Wow, such an honourable duo. You don't really meet any trainer and Pokemon with such dignity. And the moves they used against Geodude's Rollout… Grass Knot from a Fire-type I haven't seen before, and it really must've hurt. Impressive tactics, you two.'_ Iruka was really amazed by the two from what he saw. From the bow to the powerful moves Chimchar performed, it was really quite impressive, but... there was something… familiar about this… Menma and Chimchar.

"Iruka! Send out your next Pokemon!" Naruto called out, breaking Iruka out of his stupor.

"Well, you've done well to make it this far. I didn't expect those elaborate moves from your Chimchar… Quite impressive!" He gave a big smile, before immediately turning serious. "I hope you can give a good lesson! Onix, you're next!" He called, before he threw his Pokeball. Out came a large rock snake Pokemon in a brilliant flash of light. Chimchar did not look fazed from the large Pokemon when it let out a roar.

"RRRRRRRRROOOOOAAAAAAARRR!" It cried out to intimidate its foe, but Chimchar did not falter. Instead, it gave a smirk, as if to say, "Finally, a challenge!"

"Don't underestimate Onix, Chimchar. I know that smirk you always have when you get excited fighting strong opponents." Naruto reminded, causing Chimchar to nod without looking at its trainer. The Chimp Pokemon eyes softened a little as to respect Onix's power than judge it. Both of them knew they will not spoil themselves in arrogance through judging their opponent's strength. Onix can only stare at the Pokemon, knowing that this isn't your standard Fire-type and prepared for the worst and hoped for the best.

"Meet my last Pokemon, Menma! This is Onix!" Iruka introduced, with a smile beaming of pride, until his eyes turned back to the battle. "Onix, start the battle off with **Rock Tomb**!" The large snake used its large tail to gather debris and launch it towards the Chimp Pokemon.

"Chimchar, use **Acrobatics** to hop on the rocks, then prepare **Focus Punches** on Onix when you reach the top!" Naruto commanded, and Chimchar did just that. Using its acrobatic moves, it somersaulted, flipped and twirled with amazing agility on the incoming rocks on the collision course towards the red chimp, and when it reached the top, both of its hands glowed with focused energy.

"Not going to happen! Onix, use **Dragon Tail **to defend yourself! Don't let Chimchar close to you!" Iruka yelled out. Onix's tail began to glow blue and was going to smack Chimchar from underneath. The Chimp noticed the attack coming and did not have enough time to make it towards Onix's head itself, so it turned both fists towards the tail and slammed them on it. The result was a power struggle between the two before both of them recoiled backwards and Chimchar was launched backwards flipping in the air.

"Now use **Rock Tomb** again, now that it's in the air!" Iruka commanded the Onix. The large rock snake grabbed another tailful of rocks and launched them towards Chimchar at a fast rate.

'_Now what will you do, Menma?'_ Iruka thought as the rocks began to close in on the Chimp Pokemon. Naruto, however, kept calm.

'_The same way we practiced it, Chimchar…'_ His thoughts echoed in his head before opening his mouth.

"Tsk… Shield yourself with **Thunderpunch**, Chimchar!" Naruto called out, and Chimchar began to clench its hand tightly. When the rocks finally closed into a tomb, a blue light glowed from within and suddenly exploded. Iruka's eyes widened when he saw pebbles and dust fly downwards with Chimchar without a scratch landing on its own feet and getting back towards its stance. The main factor that he was distracted about, was the sparks that flew around the area of the explosion, and Chimchar crackling with blue lightning, almost like a current… **(4)**

'…_Or a barrier…!'_ Iruka deduced by looking at it. It was a smart idea using electricity to cover and instantly shield yourself, but to be able to do such a thing was using an Electric-type Pokemon or… _'That Chimchar really is good with using lightning… But why not fire…? Something is definitely wrong with that Chimchar.'_

"Chimchar! Use a quick **Focus Punch**!" Naruto commanded, and Chimchar went for an open strike with its glowing fists. Iruka did not have time to snap out of it and issue a command before seeing Onix being smacked by a **Focus Punch** on its face by Chimchar suddenly appearing there.

'_Fast!'_ Iruka thought to himself, but Naruto isn't done yet.

"Keep going with the **Focus Punches**, Chimchar!" Naruto called, and Chimchar began a rapid succession of Focus Punches on Onix's face.

"No! Onix, use **Rock Polish** and shake it off!" Iruka frantically commanded. Onix painfully began to twist its own rock components around, including its head. That threw Chimchar off and made it dash back to the other side of the field.

'_Dang… now it's fast… What can I do now?'_ Naruto narrowed his eyes and Chimchar went back to its stance. His gut twitched and twisted in a way that is foreboding. It is almost as if something was coming. Suddenly, Iruka's voice was heard.

"Now, Onix! Ram with **Double Edge**!"

'_Double Edge?! That dangerous attack?!'_ Naruto was shocked by the powerful move Iruka's Onix has up its arsenal. The now shinier Onix began to charge at full speed, glowing white, and head first.

"Chimchar! Use **Acrobatics **and **Focus Punch** and get out of there!" Naruto called desperately. It would be the end of Chimchar if it got hit. The Chimp desperately charged **Focus Punches** on both hands and immediately swerved to its right with the speed of **Acrobatics**. Onix however veered its large head to its left, towards Chimchar. It would have got the Chimp, if Chimchar hadn't spun in both of its feet and slammed both **Focus Punches** at the left of Onix's face, causing the Onix to continue its direction, pass the Chimchar like Saffron's Magnet Train and crash into the wall **(5)**.

"Again! Wrap it up, Onix, with **Double Edge** again!" Iruka commanded again. The rubble that was caused by the first attack began to shake again as the Onix came out glowing white again and charging at the Chimp.

'_Damn! Don't have a choice now, Chimchar!'_ Naruto gritted his teeth. He thought it was too early to show the secret techniques off now, but it looks like they are out of options now. He then opened his mouth to yell out a command.

**.o0o.**

"_Tell me, have you two ever meditated, or know what meditation is?" Both Naruto and Chimchar looked at each other and shook their heads. "Understandable, I only taught you how to train using the burning flames within, but nothing in meditation and kindling that flame within you. Meditation, by definition, is to relax your mind and to focus on one particular aspect, like a bird chirping or the river flowing or the wind flowing. That is partially correct." He then sat down and went into a meditative stance. "Come sit down."_

_The green spandex man patted two spots beside him, inviting both of them to sit down on the ground. Naruto and Chimchar did just that._

_"Tell me. Have you ever heard of what the internal energy within ourselves is called?" Gai asked hypothetically, knowing that both little Naruto and young Chimchar did not know. "Understandable as well. You're still young and you haven't studied it. No matter, the energy within us is known as aura, or chi if you want to be scientific."_ **(6)**

"_Chi?" Naruto asked out loud, unfamiliar with the term. Both him and Chimchar adopted facial features that wanted more._

"_Yep! It's that energy that keeps us alive, like a life force! It is also our energy, where Pokemon use it for their attacks and moves, and humans use it in everyday activities." Gai explained with a smile (not with the shining teeth, luckily)._

"_Chim Chim Chim chaha?" Chimchar asked in its own Pokemon language._

"_Why we also call it aura? It's what scientists and field researchers use to define chi, used as a tool, weapon or sometimes a crutch by Aura users and specific Pokemon." Gai answered, then pulled out a Pokeball. The ball opened and a flash of light shaped a bipedal Pokemon with red eyes and blue and black fur. It has a beige torso, with a spike jutting out of it, and black 'hair' behind its head. A blue tail adorns its behind. Both its hands each have a spike on the back, and it almost looked like blue smoke coming out of those arms._

"_Lucah…" It calmly said, with a smile, only to see Naruto and Chimchar to drop their jaws in amazement._

"_Woowww…./Chiiiim…." They both said in awe, while Gai chuckled from their expressions._

"_This is Lucario, a Pokemon that is native the Sinnoh region. A Fighting/Steel type that has the ability to use Aura." Gai introduced Lucario who nodded. "Lucario here knows how to read minds and sense our actions around us, and can use Aura as a means to create projectiles and barriers. Lucario, demonstrate an __**Aura Sphere**__!" Gai commanded and Lucario placed its palms in close proximity of each other. After a moment, a blue orb became visible to Naruto and Chimchar, watching intently, and grew in size and power. After it became the size of a basketball, Lucario then launched it towards a lone tree and it blasted with such power that it exploded._

"_WOOOOOOW!/CHAAAAAAR!" Naruto and Chimchar both had stars in their eyes as they hopped out of their meditative seats as they saw the Aura Sphere. The idea of aura and firing __**Aura Spheres**__ really excited them._

"_Are we gonna learn how to do that, Bushy Brow-sensei?!" Naruto excitedly asked as he and Chimchar literally bounced on the ground._

"_No." He bluntly responded with a smile, and both Naruto and Chimchar facefaulted immediately afterwards._

"_Aww…" They both had depressing storm clouds raining on their heads._

_"Now now, don't let those flames of youth burn out yet!" The bushy browed teacher reassured, which earned a shudder from both of his students, but they nevertheless got back up and sat back in a meditative stance._

_"Then what are we gonna use our chi for, sensei?" Naruto asked, with Chimchar nodding._

_"Allow me to explain, Naruto!" The sensei said. "While specific Pokemon and Aura users are able to use aura as a defensive tool in battle, people and Pokemon who can't learn it that way use chi to boost their strength. You see, chi is our strength. It is hard to stop the flow, but we can direct it to our limbs to give us a boost in strength in order to disrupt their flow of chi. When we punch, we are directing the flow of chi towards the target, of the intent of dealing external and internal damage. As we block, we are using our own flow of chi to stop their flow of chi. In order to reach and train in the power of chi, you must learn to meditate, regulate, and clear the pathways of your chi into your body in order to unlock what we are going to learn and train about for the rest of the day."_

_"What are we going to learn, Gai-sensei?" Naruto curiously asked. Maito Gai just smirked. _

_"You two are going to begin learning the Eight Gates."_

**.o0o.**

"First gate, OPEN!"

Naruto commanded, and Chimchar smirked before gripping both of its fist. Suddenly, a large and quick burst of power erupted from Chimchar, its eyes and muscles bulging out. Both of its tightly gripped fists immediately glowed into **Focus Punches**. The Chimp Pokemon felt a new surge of power within its arms, and began to dash quickly towards Onix, who began to charge towards Chimchar with another **Double Edge**, this one more powerful than the last one. The two of them kept charging towards each other until Chimchar leapt high, higher than Onix.

"Go Chimchar! Show your flames of power! **Twin Dragonite Fists**! **(9)**" Naruto cheered. Chimchar then aimed both fists towards Onix's head. The Chimp then began to spin and rocket towards Onix. The glow from the **Focus Punches** left trails of light, giving the illusion of two blue faces that looked like Dragonites. It roared before crashing into Onix's **Double Edge**.

A power struggle ensued between them, almost neither side going to win. After a long tense moment (10 seconds actually), the struggle broke and Onix was knocked backwards and blasted by the **Twin Dragonite Fists**. A large explosion appeared with rubble flying everywhere. Naruto and Iruka shielded themselves before the dust cleared, to reveal Chimchar standing nearby the Onix, who had swirls on its eyes.

"ALRIGHT CHIMCHAR!" Naruto yelled happily, cheering, jumping for joy and running to hug his Chimchar, a little bruised, but still okay.

"CHIMCHAAAR!" Chimchar cheered as it jumped to hug Naruto. Iruka smiled, happy for them as he returned Onix, and watched them hug. But for some reason, the room began to shine a little.

'Congratulations, Menma. You certainly have a unique Chimchar, eh?' Iruka chuckled a little, almost giving a reminiscence from 3 years ago. That scene reminded him of a boy long ago, but before he could question it…

'Huh?' Iruka noticed something glowing behind the hugging scene of Menma and Chimchar. Almost like… a sunset and ocean? Suddenly, his eyes began to burn.

"MY EYES! MY EYES!" The Pewter Gym Leader screamed before turning away, his eyes burning from behind the sockets. **(10)**

"Eh? Iruka?" Naruto asked, confused and a little worried on what made Iruka act in a painful way. He jogged to the scarred man, who at this point stopped screaming and was now panting, with Chimchar in tow. "What's wrong?"

"Huh? Oh! Menma, i-it's… nothing. It's just… something I saw." Iruka brushed it off, although his eyes looked bloodshot. He never thought a sunset and a hug looked painful (literally). Naruto and Chimchar tilted their heads in confusion.

'What's got him confused?/Chim?' Both of them thought and shrugged.

"Anyway, that was some great battling there Menma!" Iruka praised, earning big smiles from Naruto and Chimchar. "You really have bonded with your Pokemon well, and you make effective strategies for your Pokemon to follow real easily! Plus, I've never seen that style of battling with your Chimchar! I'd give you full marks if I was your sensei!" Iruka had his hand on his chin with an impressed look in his eyes.

"Thanks, Iruka. It was a pleasure battling you!" Naruto said, with Chimchar stating the same in its language, and made a fist on his right hand and covered it with his left hand and bowed. Chimchar did the same hand sign and bow. Iruka gave a small chuckle at the sensei honorific. However, for some reason, he thought he saw a shine of blond on the individual in front of him.

'Yeah… You remind me of Naruto…' Iruka thought, but decided not to press into that issue. He then pulled something out of his pocket.

"My pleasure, Menma. Anyway, as the Gym Leader of Pewter City, I hereby offer you this Boulder Badge! Take care of it." Iruka stated, while he opened his hand to reveal a badge, the size of a big toenail, to Naruto, who had stars in his eyes. It was in the shape of an octagon, with eight 'hills from each side caving upwards to the summit, which was a flat octagon. The badge was also in a gray colour, giving Naruto a feeling as if he conquered even the toughest Rock Pokemon.

"Thanks again, Iruka…" Menma thanked again. Chimchar nodded as well.

"Alright. Now your next step is to go out and find other Gyms to conquer around Kanto before taking on the Elite Four!" Iruka stated, in a teacher-like voice. Naruto nodded as if he was in class again. "Although I'm pretty sure you already knew that, since you registered for the Pokemon League, but hey! It's for good measure that I tell you this!"

"Yeah, I know! Thanks Iruk-!" Naruto paused for a second there like time froze. He just came in the Pewter City Gym to battle and win the badge and become Champ after the League but…

"AAAAAUGH!" Naruto cried. "I FORGOT TO REGISTER!"

Sigh… it seems no one ever tells Menma these things.

**(1) Something to tie themselves with Gai that isn't just his martial arts. Plus flames of youth sounds like it should be for the retirement home.**

**(2) For some reason, Rock is always the first gym people go to, since it is 'easy'. They will feel like they became the weakest Gym Leader of them all (especially Brock because he kept the stupid Onix at the World Tournament in BW2).**

**(3) It's Rock Lee's stance.**

**(4) You know the Chidori Nagashi that Sasuke uses?**

**(5) Think of how a Tai Chi Chuan user uses his moves. In Taoist religion, harmony cannot be stopped, no matter how hard or fast it goes. In this concept, I'm using it TO AN EXTENT. In Chimchar and Naruto's case, you can't stop anything if you are not prepared for it. So let it pass by you and get out of the way. Lead them towards that direction by pushing them our of your way, or standing far enough a distance between you and them. That is how Tai Chi works. You let the energy (kinetic energy in this case) continue on its path, but move yourself out of the way and let inertia do its work.**

**(6) I'm plannin to have the Goken be more of a balanced usage of both muscle and chi, or aura. Aura is basically life force used as a tool for specific users of Aura, like Lucario and Riley in the anime. Chi is the same thing, except for people who cannot use it, with Gai, Naruto, Chimchar, and many others like them. It's just that saying aura and chi are two different words, but they mean similar things. Aura for aura users, and chi for non-aura users. The only difference is that aura is dealt with more defensive uses and emotional trainer, while chi is used for more offensive options and deals with physical strength.**

**(7) Chimchar and Naruto will NOT UTILIZE AURA! IT HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED! (At least for now in Naruto's case. I don't think he will be firing Aura Spheres like a bullet anytime soon...)**

**(8) Almost like the Eight Gates in the Naruto series, you force chi into certain 'gates' in your body which opens up and pumps you with strength. The names of the Gates will be the same, and the concept is the same as well. Instead of chakra however, it is chi.**

**(9) Original move.**

**(10) What exactly IS the 'flames burning hot' without this unbreakable genjutsu? XD**

**Hello everybody! Irate here, with another long-ass chapter of Failures' Journey! I'm surprised by the amount of followers I've gained, but not very surprised about the reviews. I didn't get much out of a 1000 word introduction (I did mention that it was an introduction, right?)**

**So now you know how Chimchar works. He's more of a Fighting-type than a Fire-type. His moveset is Focus Punch, Acrobatics, Grass Knot, and his main one Thunderpunch. Now I hope you guys don't mind, but I'm going to mix Rock Lee's style of fighting with Sasuke's Chidori jutsus and Kakashi's Raikiri. Even though Chimchar did not show it off in this chapter, keep in mind that this is a Rock Gym with Ground types. I don't want to break any rules of Pokemon, like Ground type Pokemon affected by Electric moves, or Pokemon carrying more than four moves. It just doesn't work.**

**Did you guys expect Brock to be in this? Nope! That's not how I do it. I want the Naruto characters to be featured in this! I want them to fit in! I wonder if you guys did not expect Iruka-sensei to fill in the role as Pewter Gym Leader. It would possibly be better if it was Mizuki, but I don't know how to fit him in.**

**So do you like or no like? Do you want anything changed or requested? Tell me in a review, and I'll do the best I can. Favourite, follow, complement and criticize however you wish. Just no flaming, because Chimchar certainly can't breathe any.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon or Naruto. However, the twists are all me.**


	3. Chapter 2 - Unknown Meetings

**I know you guys know that I don't own Naruto!**

**NOTE: Edited, only removed Japanese amalgamations (everything except sensei). **

* * *

"_Hey Sakura! Look at this!"_

"_Not now, Naruto, you fool! I'm trying to watch Sasuke!"_

_A little Naruto with a bright ear-to-ear smile was standing beside a pink-haired girl known as Sakura Haruno, who was not really paying attention to him at all. Naruto had a gray T-shirt with an orange spiral logo, orange shorts and blue sandals, while Sakura was wearing a red qipao dress with pink borderlines and flip-flops. What Naruto was holding in his hands was a large bucket of water. Inside that bucket was a large gray ray-finned fish Pokemon, with a blue mouth and whiskers and sticking its head out. The four fins (one on the top, one at the back and two adorned on the bottom) were blue and a black zig-zag sigil was on the body._

"_Barr…?" The Pokemon, known as a Barboach, purred out curiously and looked at the red qipao dressed specimen that was in front of the Whiskers Pokemon. Almost immediately, the Pokemon widened its eyes, and suddenly had hearts on its eyes. The Barboach has fallen in love with Sakura._

_Never had a Pokemon ever fall in love with a human before._

"_C'mon, Sakura! Look! I got it for you!" Naruto pleaded, hoping he could get some attention from the girl of his dreams. Sakura finally sighed, curiosity getting the better of her, and turned around._

"_Well, this better be important, Naruto! Sasuke's already there, ready to catch me in his arms!" She said the delusional phrase. She was completely irritated by him and expected some sort of Valentine's gift, only to catch sight of that __**slimy, gross, hideous-looking… THING that's somehow showering hearts all around the place inside of a rusty bucket**__ (it didn't look THAT slimy to Naruto, Sakura was just that shallow). From that sight alone, she can only screech._

"_EEEYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"_

_Everyone turned to the trio, Naruto who was only staring dumbly at Sakura who had the eyes of terror as if they had a thousand Pokemon chasing their tails. However, the third one, the Barboach in the bucket, was oblivious to the crowd watching and was only focusing on Sakura in an infatuated state._

"_Boach!" It cried happily as it leapt at an astounding height out of the bucket of water. Everybody looked upwards as the Barboach dove towards the pinkie at breakneck speeds, head first._

"_NYYAAAAAAAAAUUUGGGHHHGETITOFFGETITOFFGETITOFFGETITOFFGETITOOFFFFFF!" Sakura screamed as the Barboach landed and began to squirm and wriggled on_ her_ dress, hair and limbs. Sakura kept flailing around in a panic, desperately trying to get the Barboach away from her, yet due to the slimy texture of Barboach's skin and how… attached Barboach is, it certainly was not an easy thing to do._ **(1)**

"_Aww Sakura! I think he likes you!" Naruto dumbly commented, showing a smile, even if he isn't noticing the utter chaos Sakura was in. Some of the other students that were watching sweatdropped at the scene and at Naruto's remark, while a few were laughing or snickering at the side._

_Actually, one laugh, unnoticeably to the other students, was done at the academy rooftop. _

"_CHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"_

_A Chimchar, complete with fur that matches all the warm colours, oval eyes, ears and everything except the flaming tail, was currently on the floor laughing hard. Tears nearly came out of its eyes and its cheeks were aching red from laughing to hard. Honestly, the Chimchar found the scene really funny; just the way the Barboach trailed all over the pink banshee's body while she struggled earned them a monkey laugh from the Chimp Pokemon itself. It really liked this yellow human. After all, Chimchar laughed at his antics, which was a major plus._

_A couple of the students actually tried to help Sakura get the Whiskers Pokemon off the bubblegum girl, but before they could do anything…_

"_WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!" A giant head emerged at the school doors as all heads turned there only to see what they usually see during class. Everyone's blood froze as they slowly turned their heads to reveal a really angry Iruka Umino and his incredibly giant freaking red-faced head._

_Iruka then spotted Naruto and the squirming Pokemon, now that it stopped raping-, I mean CUDDLING Sakura like a Corphish in mating season. He then sighed as his head quickly deflated back to its original size. "Naruto…! What did you do now?!"_

_Naruto could only smile, despite the trouble he was in. "Well, Iruka-sensei, I-!"_

"_BAR!"_

_**WHAM!**_

"_GACK!"_

"_NARUTOOOOO!" A fleshy object smacked the chin of Naruto, stopping his question before it even began. Naruto flopped backwards onto his back, with the contents of the bucket from his hands splashing all over his face. A fuming slimy Sakura used Barboach as a beating weapon on Naruto, and was about to pick up the bucket to slam on Naruto's crown if it wasn't for Iruka to break it up._

"_Okay! Enough! What's going on?!" Iruka demanded to know as he separated both of the kids. Sakura, still blinded by anger, answered before Naruto had a chance to open his mouth._

"_Iruka-sensei! Naruto's the one to blame! He threw that ugly fish at me and laughed! He's the one who started it!" It was the truth... well, most of the truth according to her. The pinkie was too busy to notice any of the details and could only remember hunting for Sasuke, Naruto and that… THING!_

"_Naruto…!" Iruka snarled in frustration as his threatening eyes locked onto Naruto, who froze from his twitching sight._

"_B-But, Iruka-sensei! That wasn't what ha-!"_

_**CRACK!**_

_Iruka wasn't one for games when it comes to trouble with Naruto, and it was always excuses that came out of Naruto's mouth. So for once in his life, he had to shut Naruto up; and what better way to do that than to launch a disciplinary fist on his crown with his fist._

"_Enough excuses! To the headmaster's office, young man! You have a lot of explaining to do!" Iruka seethed as he grabbed the unconscious and wet Naruto on the shirt collar and dragged him across the ground. His grip was firm and the shirt was close to ripping, and it made Naruto look pitiful. If Naruto looked harder, he would have seen the looks of pity from Barboach and Chimchar on the roof._** (2)**

**.o0o.**

'_Man, what I wouldn't give to see Naruto again. I didn't even apologize from what happened few years back, nor did I ask where he found the Barboach…'_

"Hey Iruka!" A voice snapped him out of his thoughts. When he looked up, he saw Menma staring at him with a tilted head and a confused face. "Didn't you hear me?"

"Er, no I didn't. Sorry, Menma, what were you trying to ask?" Iruka asked sheepishly. Menma rolled his eyes while Chimchar gave a small chortle.

"Well, I was wondering if you can show me where the Pokemon Center is." Naruto repeated his question, albeit with a sheepish grin while scratching his head. Iruka gave a small laugh internally on the situation, then nodded.

"I'll take you there. How does that sound?" Iruka offered. Naruto smiled and gave a nod.

"Lead the way, sensei!"

**.o0o.**

"_Lead the way,_ _sensei!_** (3)**

**.o0o.**

Iruka's eyes widened. It almost sounded familiar as he was dragged along the road.

'_That line… that Menma kid reminds me so much like Naruto…'_

"Hey Iruka." Menma asked, once again snapping Iruka out of his thoughts. "Do you always fight like that?"

"Huh? What do you mean by that?"

"I mean, for a trainer starting out, it looked like you were not holding back." Menma commented, raising a smile. Iruka couldn't help but puff his chest out in pride.

"Well, of course! By the looks of things, you looked like a seasoned Trainer." Iruka said, pride laced in his voice. "I mean, those bandages on your Chimchar weren't just for show, were they?"

"Heh, well no they weren't. And I'm not seasoned, because that was my first ever battle, Iruka-sensei." Naruto clarified.

"Eh? You mean…?" Iruka had a look of disbelief when he heard that Naruto beaten him in his first ever battle.

"_H-Huh?! I went all-out, yet lost to a complete newbie?!"_ Iruka nearly slack-jawed at the declaration.

"But I'm glad you didn't hold back, Iruka." Naruto calmly thanked the scarred Trainer, which snapped Iruka out of his stupor and made him blush. "But do you do this for every other challenger?"

"No, not really. Geodude and Onix usually go easy on the new challengers, like the graduates from Konoha Academy." Iruka answered back. "I'm not the guy that would want to destroy the confidence on this year's next batch of trainers, would I?"

"Heh. You got a good eye, sensei." Naruto said, as both of them neared the Pokemon Center, a hospital building with a giant Pokeball as its symbol. Inside the building, there were orange-tiled floors, a white ceiling and a desk at the front. A lounging area was also there on the right, and PCs on the left in case of a need to swap for Pokeballs. A few people were there already at the lounging area, but Naruto's focus was on one particular person on the desk. She had white blond hair, tied into two tails, a diamond on her forehead, hazel eyes, a large bust, a nurse gown and a crown that had the medical symbol on it.

"Oh hello! I'm Nurse Tsunade! Welcome to the Pokemon Center!" **(4)** The nurse bowed her head in a polite manner, the smile never leaving her face. When she came up, she looked back at the patient with the Chimchar on his shoulder, who wasn't even paying attention.

"Ah! So this is the Pokemon Center…" Naruto looked around in awe, then looked at the nurse. "Hello! Could you get my Chimchar checked? Also, I'm here to register for the Kanto Pokemon League." He requested to the nurse, who gave a nod. Iruka stayed at the entrance while he looked at Naruto.

'_That Menma kid… he reminds me of Naruto… a lot like Naruto…"_ The scarred Gym Leader said in his head, as if he saw an illusion of blond hair on the head of Menma instead of black hair. But before he could think any deeper, he heard voices behind him.

"I'm serious, Sasuke! I think you would have been defeated by those hordes of Beedrill if we didn't show up!" A brash voice was heard, followed by a bark, which sounds like an agreement.

"Hn. Me and my Pokemon didn't need anybody. I lost because you distracted me, and that my Pokemon was just weak." A black-haired boy with the cool voice voiced its opinion in a mocking fashion.

"Yeah! Sasuke doesn't need your advice, you mutt!" A pink-haired girl screeched to the one who spoke in the brash voice.

"Hey! I'm just offering advice! What's your deal, pinkie!?"

"Perhaps you need another Pokemon, Uchiha. Maybe it was your fate to start off with a weak Pokemon." A white-eyed boy with long hair advised, staring coldly at the raven-haired boy.

"Shut up, Hyuuga! You didn't fare better than me!" He barked back, losing his cool.

"Troublesome… Cut it out you guys, you're making too much noise…" A pineapple-hair-shaped boy with narrow eyes and a lazy demeanor commented.

"Hn."

"Tsk."

"…"

"…"

*munch* "Look! It's the Pokemon center!" A round boy, munching on some chips, mentioned as all of them were walking towards the hospital for Pokemon that was just a ways away anyway.

"Finally! A Pokemon Center! Thank goodness… My hair needs to be done up again from that chase…" A messy long-haired blond girl breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Ino is right. Logically, we should rest up here since we just came from a losing battle." A boy with sunglasses and a trench coat agreed in a calm voice.

"L-let's s-see if Nurse T-Tsunade is here, e-everyone…" A shy, lavender-eyed girl said as she was nervously trembling a little.

"Ooh! I can't wait to see Nurse Tsunade again! I'm so excited!" A girl squealed as she was hoping she would meet her favourite idol. She had a pink haori and brown hair tied into two buns in her head. Her head would possibly be mistaken for a panda's head.

As they got closer to the entrance, they saw Iruka, patiently waiting for someone, although they don't know who that someone is.

"Iruka-sensei!" The pink one called out to the man, who turned around and gave them a smile.

"Ah Sakura! And the rest of you! I'm glad you can make it!" Iruka greeted them with a smile of his own. Sakura gave her own wave and ran ahead while the rest of the group came ahead.

"So how are my cute little Trainers comin' along? Bet you guys already caught your first Pokemon, right?" Iruka asked, giving a wide toothy smile as he looked at the Konoha students with pride. A few of his students only gave out a grunt, while a couple had a beaming smile, and the others were as stoic or as nervous as they can be.

"Well, not really… I haven't really caught anybody yet. I'm content with Bulbasaur for now." Sakura looked sheepish and scratched her head.

"I caught a Pokemon, Iruka-sensei. It was a Caterpie, which will be a great roster on my team. Although I was the only one who caught an additional Pokemon, compared to the rest of us here." The glasses boy Shino quietly answered with a small hint of happiness. The Caterpillar Pokemon will go well with his starter, which is a Weedle, for his Bug-type team. Ino, however, shivered at the thought of Bug types.

"Ugh! Please don't talk about bugs here… We all just got here!" Ino spat out while shivering. She was never good with Bug types, and it was hell to go through the Viridian Forest. Luckily she had Sasuke-kun with her to protect her from any and all dangers that reside in the world!

"Troublesome… They aren't that bad, Ino. You're just whining." The pineapple-haired boy yawned when he commented on Ino's irrational fear of bugs. But then he felt a familiar intent of dread creeping up as a tick mark scrunched up on her pale skin as she turned around with angry pools of white.

"WHAT WAS THAT?!"

"Troublesome…"

"IT WILL BE TROUBLESOME WHEN I RIP YOU A NEW ONE, SHIKAMARU!"

"Anyway, we're getting off-topic." A voice stopped the argument, and it was none other than the white-eyed prick. He had long dark brown hair tied into a loose ponytail and wearing a pale khaki. "Do you know where we can find the Gym Leader here?"

"Neji's right!" The boy with the brash voice remarked. He had a large fur-lined coat, gray pants and a mesh shirt. "We're here to get a gym badge! Isn't that right, Akamaru?!" He said, with a bark coming from his hood, to reveal a black Bite Pokemon Poochyena on top of Kiba's head and inside the hood.

"Arf!" It barked, to show its agreement. Kiba smile widely from that declaration.

"Well, if you're looking for the Gym Leader…" Iruka smile deviously as he looked to the side. The Trainers were curious as they leaned closer and closer to Iruka. "…then you're looking at him!" Iruka had a goofy smile on his face, but only silence reigned in the air. The Trainers deadpanned as they looked at their sensei without much respect.

'_I don't know what the dramatic pause was though…'_ Shikamaru rolled his eyes. The silence was then cut short from the use of two words.

"Fight me." Those were the first two words that were heard. It came from raven-haired Sasuke Uchiha.

"If it's a fight you want…" Iruka said in a serious tone as he looked directly into the eyes of Sasuke. It made Sasuke smirk, knowing that he'll get his battle.

"…theeeeeen?" Everyone leaned in for the answer again only to be thrown back into their faces.

"…then you'll just have to wait." Iruka turned around in dismissal, with his arms crossed and his face smug. The group of Trainers face-faulted from the sudden display of drama. **(5)**

"Why not?!" Sakura and Ino cried at the same time. They were looking forward for the Gym Battle, especially with THEIR Sasuke-kun. He is the best and awesome in their eyes after all.

"Why?! I should be fighting you by now!" Sasuke demanded, seeing himself as the important one; as if he was important. He always complained that he needed to be stronger or get special privileges just because he was an Uchiha.

"Because a fellow trainer is there and I'm waiting for him. So be patient, please Sasuke? I don't need any complaints from you." Iruka shot back in a serious tone, already knowing that Sasuke was an Uchiha and frankly did not care. Apparently, the Uchihas held a place in the Elite Four and one of the Gym Leaders. Shisui, who was the Gym Leader of Cinnabar Island who uses Fire type Pokemon, and Itachi Uchiha, Master of the Dark-type Pokemon is the last Elite Four in the Indigo Plateau, although Itachi went missing years ago. Sasuke probably has much to live for, since Itachi is his brother, and he always wanted to surpass him.

But apparently Iruka did not cave into Sasuke's demands for more powerful Pokemon, and Sasuke was getting impatient.

"Listen, you!" Sasuke snapped angrily, while grabbing Iruka's collar. "You WILL fight me, or else I'll-!"

"Or else what?"

A new voice caught everybody's attention as a pair of doors slid open. Standing there was Menma and Chimchar. The group took notice of the black hair and red eyes and the black cloak. They also notice Chimchar had bandages on its arms and legs and a headband.

'_Menma…'_ Iruka said in his head, bewildered as he looked at the red-eyed Trainer that had the fierce look on his face, something that he hasn't seen outside of the Gym Battle.

"Shut up you! Don't butt into my problems, Trainer!" Sasuke snapped back at the black-dyed-haired boy, who just remained calm from the amount of anger.

"Really. Well, it became my problem when you threatened Iruka-san here." Naruto calmly rebuked, jabbing a thumb to Iruka, still having a bewildered expression, as he was let go by Sasuke. Everyone stayed silent, but it was clear that the air was tense.

"Hn! What are you, his mommy?! What are you gonna do about it then!?" Sasuke asked Naruto in a truly mocking way. Chimchar clenched its fists tightly, but Sasuke nearly shivered when he saw Naruto's eyes almost glowed a terrifying red. **(6)**

"I'll send you home, limping with both arms broken. But I doubt the officials will allow you leave after you threatened an official Gym Leader." Naruto threatened, done in a menacing voice. Sasuke flinched when he saw the eyes glow, and unconsciously took a step backwards.

Sakura wanted to butt in, but was scared out of her trousers when she saw his eyes. It was quite scary, almost as if she saw her own defeat, with Bulbasaur badly hurt. She was worried about Sasuke-kun, and actually had the thought of him losing to that black-haired boy.

Ino was on the same boat as Sakura, but her mindset was that she had every fibre in her body confident that Sasuke would take the boy down, regardless of the tension he was causing.

Shikamaru could only stare with just a lazy look, what people usually saw, but there was a sparkle of curiosity in those eyes, saying that there's something familiar about this boy. Also, there was something off about the Chimchar. Where is its flame on its tail? **(7)**

The round boy Chouji stopped eating his chips with wide eyes as he watched the scene unfold. It was like watching a Mexican standoff, seeing who will live and who will die.

Shino was silent and calm during the tension, but he felt fear rise from his gut as he looked into Menma's eyes. It was as if the boy knew harshness when he saw it. But that didn't make Shino flinch or anything outwardly.

Hinata was shivering a little as she looked into Menma's eyes. Those were the eyes of someone who was about to teach somebody else a harsh lesson. She has seen it many times when she was little, but it was still terrifying to watch.

Kiba held back a snarl as he looked at the black-haired boy's eyes glowing red. It was so scary, it was as if he could smell it with his nose (and it truly smelled like frozen piss). Akamaru whimpered slightly in the hood Kiba was wearing.

Neji felt a little bit of fear rise from his stomach, as he watched the boy meet his threatening eyes towards the Uchiha. He felt a little elated that the Uchiha was getting all the flak, but that did not deter the inner shivers he has gotten.

"You can't threaten me! I'm an Uchiha!" Sasuke's ego did not falter, as he took out a red and white Pokeball and threw it. From a flash of light, out came a Charmander, a Lizard Pokemon with red scales, a bright underbelly and a flaming tail. However, its eyes were different.

"Chaaaar!" It roared (well, roared like a Charmander) as it had a maniacal glint in its eyes as it slashed its claws in the air and breathed wisps of flame from its mouth. Iruka widened his eyes as a battle was about to take place. In front of a Pokemon Center, no doubt.

"Is it a battle you want, Uchiha?" Menma goaded, glaring at the raven-haired boy, who smirked excitedly. "Do you expect me to lose?" Chimchar narrowed his eyes. Not speaking a word, it hopped off Naruto's shoulder and stood resolute, while eyeing the Charmander, who was thrashing around.

"No! I expect you to beg and grovel at my feet! Use **Ember**!" Sasuke shot back. The Charmander breathed in and-

_**SLAM!**_

Lizard Pokemon met fist, Lizard Pokemon met ground. Face first. **(8)**

Debris and dust flew everywhere the Charmander was slammed into the ground from just a lunging punch from Chimchar. Many of the new trainers were shocked at the destructive power of just one hit. Some of them shrieked as well. Iruka and Naruto, already exposed to Chimchar's fighting style, held his composure.

Sasuke was especially pale from the amount of strength one punch did. How could such a puny Pokemon owned by a nobody do so much damage? It was unacceptable!

Chimchar however smirked. It was like a catharsis to him and his best friend Naruto. It felt so satisfying to beat the Trainer that has taken joy to always beating the Pokemon and its master to the ground. The Chimp Pokemon could remember many times where it was bullied by the Konoha Academy Pokemon for not being able to produce a single Ember, with Charmander on the top of the list. But when Chimchar began to strike again, this time with a glowing **Focus Punch**, Naruto stopped it.

"Chimchar, enough!"

Chimchar's attention was caught by Naruto's voice, and its bandaged fist stopped glowing. Immediately, the Chimp dashed back towards Naruto's side and leapt on top of his shoulder. The Chimp's scowl never left its face.

'_W-What speed too!'_ Sasuke gasped in his mind, as his face showed his wide eyes from the display. _'That Pokemon should belong to me! An elite!'_ He all but screamed in his mind.

'_H-Hey! That's a Chimchar, but… where's its fire on its tail?'_ She muttered, but nobody heard her.

'_I guess it was no contest.' _Naruto immediately thought and smirked a little. He almost felt like a weight on his chest suddenly lifted a little. _'Strange, that battle, if you could call it one, felt satisfying. Hehe! Look who's the loser now, ya bastard!'_

"Well, that's over and done with." Naruto breathed a sigh as he began to leave, but was stopped by another voice.

"Excuse me." Naruto turned around to see Neji come out of the crowd. The pale-eyed boy had the definition of calm on his face, but Naruto could see his left hand twitching slightly. Naruto's serious frown deepened only a little from the sight of Neji, memories, bad and worse, only surfaced from year before his unscheduled departure.

"Whadaya want, you _white-eyed prick_?" **(9)** Naruto asked uncaringly. Almost immediately, Neji tensed. His eye twitched and unconsciously gripped his hand into a fist. The white haori boy had to reign his anger in from that dreaded nickname.

**.o0o.**

"_What the hell do ya want, ya white-eyed_ prick?!

**.o0o.**

Almost from the background, Kiba's mouth twitched upward. Inwardly, he was laughing his ass off from the nickname. Shikamaru and Chouji can only chuckle in their heads. Neji would rip them a new one if he heard them. Sasuke, still humiliated, smirked a little. If he was going down (in terms of a lucky shot), the _white-eyed prick_ would go down with him. _'There's no way he would stand a chance against him. But how could I have lost?'_

"W-White-eyed prick…?" Neji hissed out threateningly, yet Naruto's stance remains unchanged. Flashes of being locked in a freezer, shivering for a good 4 hours and crying out for mommy while banging the freezer door made him shiver unconsciously. Apparently with all the talk about fate, how he was fated to win and how Naruto was forever fated to lose his battles, Naruto was seething with a vengeance. So after a quick fix of false messages, Naruto smirked when he remembered doing a victory dance nearby the locked freezer door.

With the famed white-eyed prick stuck fast within the confines of cold storage. **(10)**

"Okay, stop!" Iruka interrupted, which grabbed the attention of everybody in the vicinity. "Look, if you two want to battle, then fine! We should probably just go to another clearing to battle however." He pointed out, as if afraid. Everyone was confused as to why his face went slightly pale for a second, before looking inside the Pokemon Center. Inside, a Nurse Tsunade had her face and chest pressed on the glass door, her eyebrows furrowed, a creepy smile adorning her face, and was deathly glaring at the group of trainers that dared to battle in front of a Pokemon hospital of all places.

'DON'T… YOU… DARE…' Were the unspoken mouthed words of the infamous Nurse Tsunade before she turned heel and went right back to the counter. Everyone gave a mental shiver and promised themselves to never fight near a Pokemon Center, lest they suffer the wrath of Nurse Tsunade Senju.

**.o0o.**

"Alright! This is a one-on-one battle, between Menma and Neji Hyuuga! Trainers, send out your Pokemon!" Iruka called out in the Gym Stadium. Iruka lead the group into the Pewter City Gym, where both boys will have their grudge match against each other. Neji was smirking as if he knew who would win, but Naruto had his eyes narrowed. Chimchar stayed silent, but hardened its resolve and clenched its fists. The rest of the trainers were gathered at the stands, eager to see how the match would go, or be brooding like a certain raven-haired boy.

"We all know who the victor is, Menma. Fate has declared me the winner of this match!" Neji called out in a smug tone, but he has yet to prove anything.

'_Still spouting the fate bullshit, I see… Maybe I should have locked you up in the freezer longer.' _Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Fate? That has nothing to do with anything." He responded uncaringly.

"Really, now? Fate has to do with everything! It determines who is strong and who is weak! And let me tell you, Menma: You are weak!" Neji blatantly stated, dropping the smirk and adapted a serious visage. In his hand was a Pokeball, ready to be tossed.

"Let us see if you can back it up, white-eyed prick-san. Let's see what your fate can do." Naruto smirked, ready for a good retribution, even if the opponent doesn't know it. "Show them what you can do, Chimchar!" Naruto looked at the Chimp Pokemon, who is eager for battle. Chimchar then landed on his own two feet and adapted its signature fighting stance.

"Hmph! Bandages and a headband won't save you. Ralts!" He remarked, then called out his Pokemon as he tossed his Pokeball. A small white Pokemon came out with a green helmet and pink horns came out. The Feeling Pokemon, known as Ralts, gave a small, yet fierce cry, ready to fight for its master.

"A battle between Menma's Chimchar versus Neji's Ralts! Begin!" Iruka announced. Immediately, however, Chimchar rushed in as fast as a bullet, without a command, and smashed Ralts in the face with a fist. The white Pokemon gave a squeal of pain as it fell over, with Neji shocked and Trainers at the stands with their jaws dropped. Iruka however gave a look of neutrality.

'_F-F-Fast…!'_ Neji cried out in his mind, never expecting the Pokemon to lash out and deal a powerful first hit against Ralts. _'But… Fate declared me... the winner…!'_

'_Huh?! I never seen a Chimchar move so fast!'_ Ino gaped from the display. Surely she has seen Pokemon who has moved fast, but never THIS fast.

'_N-Neji…'_ Hinata thought worryingly as she glanced at Neji's Pokemon and then at Menma.

'_Whoa! Neji's getting dumped on! And so fast too!'_ Kiba stared with wide eyes as he tried to process what just happened

'_B-But Neji was one of the top trainers back at the academy!'_ Tenten shook a little in disbelief.

'_Again? I barely seen that!'_ Sakura didn't breathe for a full thirty seconds before registering what happened.

'_Whoa…'_ Chouji thought in disbelief. He stopped eating his chips when he witnessed the impressive first hit right when Iruka began the match.

'_Troublesome. Trying to ending the match right as the match starts. Kinda like with Sasuke's monster of a Charmander…' _Shikamaru thought. He was expecting a lot from this Menma character, and even now after sizing him up, he still is an unknown.

'_Damn him! That power should be MINE! How does he have this strength?!'_ Sasuke seethed, gripping the handlebars as if he should have the power to bend them easily. **(11)**

The Ralts, feeling the pain behind the attack, but wasn't too hurt from the fist. It had a determined look in its eye, which made Chimchar smirk a little.

"Tsk, no matter! You still won't win!" Neji muttered under his breath and awaited his opponent's next move. When he saw Chimchar twitch and dash ahead towards Ralts, he shot out his first command.

"Ralts, use Reflect!" Immediately, a clear blue barrier rose up in front of Ralts, sustained with psychic energy. However, Chimchar gave a smirk of its own. _'What's he planning?'_ Neji thought before he saw the Chimp twist around and appeared behind the Feeling Pokemon, with its fist glowing blue, all in the span of a second.

_**SHATTER!**_

A painful punch launched right towards the Pokemon's abdomen and broke through the Reflect barrier. Ralts was sent flying and landed a good distance away from Chimchar. Again, Neji was stunned, but he regained his stupor while gritting his teeth when the red monkey Pokemon jumped and cocked back its glowing fist, aiming to end the battle once and for all.

"Not yet! Use Psychic!" Neji commanded, although with a little desperation. Ralts immediately lifted its stubby arms up in the air and Chimchar froze with a blue outline around it, indicating that it is frozen in place by the use of Psychic. The **Focus Punch **was barely an inch above Ralts's face, and Neji gave a sigh, before smirking at Menma, who remained impassive.

"Do you see now, Menma? You have no power over Fa-!"

"Shut up." Naruto simply rebuked as if Neji was a harmless flea. Said boy gained a tick mark on his forehead for being blatantly ignored and growled, but that moment of anger alone costed him the match. "**Thunderpunch Current**, Chimchar!" **(12)** Naruto let out his only command needed for the battle.

Chimchar smirked as electricity burst from its hand, flaring wildly and shocking Ralts as a result. The Psychic dispersed and after one last punch, Ralts was down for the count.

"Ralts is unable to battle! Chimchar is the winner! Victory goes to Menma!" Iruka announced, mostly getting gasps and paled faces from the other trainers. Neji, especially, was pale and dropped his Pokeball due to his hand not registering to his nerves.

'_Such strength…'_ Many of them thought. But one of them wasn't going to have it, and rushed down to the stadium.

"You!" The Uchiha addressed towards the black-haired boy. Naruto and Chimchar turned, showing their irritated look on both of them. "How do you have this power!? You should give it to me!" He demanded, with a twitch in his eye.

"No." Naruto simply said and aimed for the door. "See you, Iruka." He calmly bowed, with Chimchar doing the same, and began to walk out.

"Hey wait!" Sasuke called, but many people did not expect Menma to immediately turn around and grab the collar of Sasuke's blue jacket, with red eyes filled with anger.

"You want strength? DO YOU?!" Naruto bellowed in a near-impossible volume. Sasuke nearly pissed his pants, but he wouldn't swallow his pride.

"Yes I do! Give me yours!" Sasuke cried out, but the grip got tighter.

"Then give up everything else that made you a person, Uchiha! Renounce your family, your friends, who you once were! DO IT NOW!" Naruto commanded the strange order, which made Sasuke freeze.

"W-What?" That was all he could say before Naruto let him drop to the ground. Sasuke watched as Naruto's face changed to a somber feeling.

"In order to gain strength, one must leave everything behind and work for that strength…" **(13)** Menma recited, almost as if it was the meaning of life. Then immediately, both trainer and Pokemon took off into the bright outdoors.

"Menma, wait!" Iruka called out, but they just kept on running. Knowing it was no use, Iruka just kept watching the pair run towards the next route, still seeing the illusion of blonde hair running towards the bright sun. **(14)**

* * *

**(1) Imagine having a tentacle squirming around you, but at the speed of Mach 100.**

**(2) Now I was planning this to be an omake, but I was constrained for time.**

**(3) Familiar phrases that Iruka remembers when Naruto was back in the academy. Ah, the memories~! Don't worry, they are important.**

**(4) Jiraiya will have a field day for this! An ungodly amount of Tsunades in nurse outfits. *nosebleeds* The reason I chose Tsunade is that she is the closest I know as a female nurse, and it will be kinda funny seeing how each and every Tsunade acts like (and how the super-pervert will act like as well)**

**(5) I like having Iruka doing sudden drama, because he's starved for a good amount of attention. Just cuz. Possibly adds to the character as well.**

**(6) Kyuubi is not in this story. No reviews about it please!**

**(7) They don't recognize the Chimchar. While the lack of flame on its tail is completely evident, Naruto and Chimchar isn't on their minds right now.**

**(8) A reference to "Icha Icha Paradise: Spiraling Love", my favourite twoshot of Naruto and Fu (she's cute!) which I recommend! It's a great read!**

**(9) You're going to be reading a lot of that.**

**(10) Why did I have Neji stuck in a freezer? Because Naruto is quite a vengeful devil. Haze Naruto in any way possible (or an Uzumaki) and you can expect yourself to be on the hit list on the highway to hell. And being locked up in a freezer is quite terrifying too.**

**(11) I hate those lines when every character was voicing out their thoughts. It feels very short and repetitive. Maybe I need a beta reader.**

**(12) Read: Chidori Nagashi**

**(13) I heard this quote before, but I just don't remember where. It's quite a good word of wisdom.**

**(14) You'll see it in a wavy flashback soon...**

**Hello everybody! I'm Irate, if you didn't know, and how did you like the new chapter? I'm sorry if I was late coming out with this, since work has been stressful lately. Don't worry! The story isn't dead, and so is my new Let's Play channel! Check out GreaterGood1000, and watch my LP of Final Fantasy 1 Origins!**

**Anyway, I also have a bit of a challenge for you guys!**

**A Dynasty Warriors x Assassin's Creed crossover!**

**Abstergo is getting impatient. The workers are getting nowhere with the constant attempts at ending wars and uniting humanity without free will. And to do that, they must find the Imperial Seal, an artifact of Eden, said to influence and control the minds and bend reality to its whim. So they must use the Animus on somebody (anybody that's connected, make your own OC) and bring them into the world of the romance of the warring three kingdoms!**

**The OC must be born into Wei and can switch sides if it allows him to, and create those philosophies. Cao Pi must be the villain, as there must be a connection from him towards Abstergo from the future. Pairings are for anybody!**

* * *

**Reviewer Responses:**

**Leoncrazy59: Thanks for your review, and don't worry. Chimchar won't gain the means to use fire AT ALL!**

**Guest: Meh, I was thinking that, but I was hoping it could be approached a little differently. Perhaps maybe develop this ability overtime along with Blaze, and possibly make Blaze work differently than usual. Hopefully :P**

**NinjaFang1331: Thanks for your two reviews and I appreciate your praise!**

**Markus-Antonius: It is to create the disguise known as Menma from Naruto: Road to Ninja. I like Menma, but the developers missed a lot of things they could do with Menma.**

**Guest: Well then, tell me! How will the Eight Gates work? It's a crossover for a reason!**


	4. Chapter 3 - New Vine and Branches

**NOTICE!**

**There is a poll on my profile that labels what Fire type Naruto will have in this story! Go check it out! Also, what pairing do you want with Naruto? I don't have time to make a poll about it, since it would take a thousand years to just label ALL of the Pokemon girls and ALL of the Naruto girls. Guys might be there too to satisfy the... other crowd, but since it's not up there, I don't have to worry. Anyway, who do you want Naruto to have as a Fire type? It has to be a Kanto Pokemon however.**

**EDIT! Sorry! The poll is on my profile now! Sorry! It's the first time I ever done a poll!**

**Also, review responses are at the bottom now, since people don't want to scroll through responses that are at the beginning. It kinda kills the engagement to read.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto nor Pokemon. I swear to God the fanfic world will collapse if I did own them.**

* * *

_Running._

_That was what was happening with Iruka as he ran through the different hallways of the Academy dorms and classrooms. He was full of anger while he was searching, but as he repeatedly see empty room after empty room, desperation and panic began to replace it. Now after opening the classroom door to discover an empty room for the umpteenth time, his feet nearly gave way and he leaned on the doorway due to the expense of his energy. His breath was erratic, but caught as he eyes were still wide._

'_Damn, where the hell is he? I usually have no trouble finding him compared to the other instructors, but I can't find hide nor hair of him!' Iruka berated himself in his thoughts, as memories of dragging the kid's sorry ass back to be scolded multiple times. He thought he was doing the right thing with the scolding, but Iruka shook his head, knowing that the harsh things he has said to Naruto today certainly worked TOO well._

_The scolding was about the incident when Naruto threw a Barboach at a student known as Sakura, in Sakura's 'perspective'. There were two things wrong with this picture._

_One, where the hell did Naruto get a Barboach? The Whiskers Pokemon is a native from the Hoenn region, so where did he get it? Most likely from the wild, which is an almost impossibility in the Kanto region. This is what made Iruka intrigued about Naruto: how was he able to find a Barboach, let alone catch one without a Pokeball? _**(1)**

_Two, Iruka got the situation from Sakura herself. He usually believes Sakura, since the blond is usually the one who causes trouble, but now Iruka wasn't so sure. Sakura thinking that Naruto was a big annoyance was an understatement. She practically hated him most of the time, and most of the time, she blamed the situation, no matter how bad, on Naruto. Sure, Naruto usually has done some pretty nasty pranks like baiting Sasuke towards Hiruzen's age-old Charizard, dumping feces and urine on Kiba and locked Neji up in the cafeteria freezer multiple times, but those were usually the ones who berated Naruto's 'abilities' in battling. Also, it felt like Naruto was hiding something, specifically with his abilities in battling. Naruto knew what he was doing judging by the look in his eyes, but most of the time, he would call out the wrong command, or just plain stand there with a fake look of shock._

_Iruka narrowed his eyes while he ran across the hallways and towards the front doors. Naruto was an enigma to him. The sensei knows that Naruto wants to be heard and gain attention from those around him. Most of all, however, he wants a friend. Sadly, many of the students do not like that and usually proceed to beat him down or shower insult after insult due to his test grades and battling. The more time this process progressed over the months, the more fake and downcast the cheery looks on Naruto's face are. Iruka clenched his teeth when the image of Naruto's fake smile appeared in his head, but with it, a depressed Naruto in tears. 'Just keep running, Iruka! Naruto's bound to be outside!' He thought._

"_NARUTOOO!" Iruka cried out as he pushes his way out of the doors and into the orange-saturated landscape. He frantically looked left and right while running across the fields, trying to look for sun-blonde hair. However, when he reached the gate of the academy, he saw only the gates and…_

"_Professor?" Iruka panted out as he ran towards Hiruzen Sarutobi, his back facing towards the outside of the gate in his white robes. When the scarred man reached him however, he saw that his old face and eyes were dripping in tears. His eyes were still staring blankly towards the open road, almost as if he was experienced something dear to him leave his arms, and wishing whoever the person was, to come back right into the old man's arms._

"_Naruto…" The old professor mumbled, tears still spilling freely. He gave a long sigh and turned around and started to walk towards the Academy dorms, with Iruka following. "You're probably wonder where the boy is, right Iruka-san?" He asked, without bothering to look at the ragged teacher.  
_

"_Huh? Oh y-yeah! D-Do you know where he went?" Iruka stuttered, trying to not break the poor professor's heart even more. Sadly, Sarutobi's eyes were even more downcast as he used his sleeve to wipe the tears away as he took a deep breath and replied with the inevitable._

"_Naruto has deserted the Academy."_

_Almost immediately, Iruka's eyes widened in shock and tried to say something. Anything! But only incoherence was heard from the scarred man's jaw-slacked mouth. It was only after a few seconds that Iruka finally found his language and began to speak again._

"_W-W-WHAT?! B-But why, Sarutobi-sama?!" Iruka all but demanded desperately. "W-We need to call the police! Release the hounds! Anyone who can find him! He's-!"_

"_IRUKA, ENOUGH!" Sarutobi raised his voice, his eyes will with a sad rage that Iruka has never seen before, and that shut him up. "I'm getting too old for this shit… Minato will kill me when he finds out. Then again, he barely pays attention to him due to his other children..."_ **(2)**_ He said to himself in a quiet voice, although silently praying that he would be too busy to call next week._

"_S-So what do we do with Naruto?" Iruka asked, trying to get the answer he has been asking. Sarutobi was quiet for a while as he stopped in place, before walking again._

"_Nothing. We let him go."_

"_H-Huh?!"_

"_He needs this, Iruka. He… and Chimchar…"_

"_Chimchar? You mean…"_

"_Yes. The one who couldn't produce fire."_

"_But why…?" Iruka couldn't shake the disbelief he had, his eyes filled with sadness and guilt. Professor Sarutobi lowered his head even more and responded in a low voice._

"_His heart has decided, Iruka. I can't change that, not after all the bad happened to him."_

_After hearing that, the scarred teacher felt shivers down his spine, feeling the pangs of guilt in his heart._

"_Oh… you mean the bullying? I-."_

"_Not just that, Iruka." Hiruzen interrupted. "There are dangers of hunting a son of famous trainers after all. I'll tell you when we get inside." Iruka relented after hearing that, and kept walking towards the main building. Hiruzen had one last thought before thinking on how to explain to Iruka on Naruto's escape._

'_Damn, I really am way too old for this shit…'_ **(3)**_  
_

**.o0o.**

"Cmon *pant* Chimchar! Punch *pant* right through! *pant* UNLEASH *pant* YOUR *pant* POWEEER!"

"CHACHACHACHACHACHACHA!"

Naruto instructed in-between breaths as both he and the Chimp Pokemon kept ramming their sweaty bandaged fists to the cracked surfaces of the boulder. Before the boulder was perfectly smooth an hour ago, but now after relentlessly attacking the boulder using their chi on their fists, it was almost time for the piece of dome earth to break into pieces.

This was usually their daily fighting regimen that they follow one per day or two days, consisting of adjustments in terms of weights, stretching, 25 kilometres of running, 25 kilometres of running on the hands, 800 push-ups and sit-ups, tai chi stances and their many styles of fist fighting. One of them was a test of strength, hence why the boulder is their punching bag.

The boulder kept cracking and rupturing as the hits from Chimchar and Naruto became more solid. They both felt one last surge of chi energy and, in a simultaneous grunt, they punched the boulder, which caved in itself and exploded in a shower of pebbles, chunks and dust, revealing a cavern behind where the hard monolith once stood. After it cleared, no sound was heard other than Naruto and Chimchar heavily panting, their sweat dripping, and the wind giving a cool breeze to the sweat-drenched pair.

"Char…" Chimchar groaned as it got on all fours, wobbling tiredly after the intense workout. The Chimp then looked towards Naruto, who was on his bottom, his hair drooping with sweat. "Chim *pant* Chim *pant* Char?" It asked with a smile, but in a concerned tone. Naruto just smiled back.

"I'm fine, Chimchar. We'll go back to the nearby Pokemon Center…" Naruto responded, his panting slowing down, while getting up on his feet and picking up the Chimp Pokemon up onto his shoulder, or his "special seat" as Chimchar dubs it. After Chimchar was placed tightly on his shoulder, he began to walk along the mountainside, which is the direction towards the Pokemon Center, which was a kilometre from here.

"Chim char cha-ha?" A smiling Chimchar asked on Naruto's shoulder, albeit a little too confidently and a little out of the blue.

"The workout? Well…" Naruto said unsurely, a little too tired to think. "I could use some lunch now…" Naruto gave a chuckle, but was met with a glare from Chimchar.

"Umm Chimchar, what's-?"

"CHIIIIIMCHAR!" A shriek from Chimchar halted Naruto in his place, confusion and shock evident plastered on his face.

"Chimchar? What's wrong?!" Naruto began to worry due to Chimchar's sudden outburst. _'Did I say something wrong?'_ He thought. But then his eyebrow was raised when Chimchar went into a familiar stance. A thumbs up, the eyes that seemed to radiate with confidence, and an all-too familiar smile and shine.

"**CHIIIIIMCHAR, CHAR!**" Chimchar began to quote. "**CHAR CHIIM CHAR CHAHA CHIM CHIIIIIIM CHIM CHAAAAAAA!**" Chimchar screamed exuberantly, both of its fists pumped out into the air, smiling with its teeth shining, and its eyes white with spirit and fury. Even if Chimchar spoke in its own Pokemon-native tongue, Naruto knew that familiar phrase and its familiar scolding with familiar exuberance, almost as if it was echoing inside of him painfully.

**.o0o.**

"_For trainees, that was a great job!" Gai complimented, smiling his usual crackpot smile. "So, both of you, how was the training?" He asked the two dead-looking pale trainees, both of them looking like they had their souls emptied out in a canister._

"_Hurts… to… talk…" Naruto drawled on, not moving a muscle. It almost sounded like only his voicebox responded, but none of his facial muscles moved an inch. Chimchar also made the same drawling noise without moving a single facial muscle. Gai had a blank face from the response, but then quickly grew angry._

"_**NOT GOOD ENOUGH, NARUTO!**__" Maito Gai exuberantly "scolded" Naruto and Chimchar, both of them too tired to proceed with responding to Gai's question on the regimen. "__**EVEN IF YOU DO RESPOND WHILE IN THE MOST PAINFUL OF STATES POSSIBLE, RESPOND IT BACK WITH THE POWER OF THE FLAMES OF YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOUTH!**__"_

_Many screams were let out by Naruto and Chimchar due to the mention of youth._

**.o0o.**

"YOSH SENSEI! WE SHALL MAKE OUR GLORIOUS FLAMES OF YOUTH EXPLODE, OR ELSE I WILL BE RUNNING AROUND THE KANTO REGION TWO THOUSAND TIMES ON MY HANDS!" Naruto blurted out, his hand shooting up towards his forehead in a salute. The phrase was bursting with a large amount of 'confidence' with a bit of panic spread on his face and trembling on his bodily form. It almost sounded like it was rehearsed or it was done by instinct.

By the time he was done, a few seconds of silence hovered in the air. Then, out of nowhere, Chimchar outright exploded in laughter and chortles, almost falling off of Naruto's tense shoulder. What Naruto has forgotten was that Chimp had a small mischievous side, and both of them often messed with each other, usually in terms of teasing, and never in physical harm. When Naruto realized what Chimchar did, his head formed veins about to explode in anger and embarrassment. **(4)**

"Oh, low blow, Chimchar…!" Naruto grumbled, crossing his arms and huffing and held back from grinding his knuckles on Chimchar's head. He continued walking towards the Pokemon Center, now visible across the horizon, with Chimchar still laughing its ass off. _'At least, no one but Chimchar and I saw was here to see that…'_ He thought to himself, mentally sighing in relief and looked towards the forest edges in embarrassment. However, what he saw caught his attention.

"Huh? Is that…?" Naruto's red contact eyes looked towards the trees and saw a small Pokemon laying down on the tree, in a near death-like state, bruises, cuts and scratches all over. The Pokemon had a yellow head that resembled a pitcher plant. Its body were brown vines and its arms were two green leaves, very thin at certain spots where there would have been holes drilled through. Its eyes were struggling to keep its eyes awake. "Hey!" Naruto called out and rushed over to the laying Pokemon, with the Chimp Pokemon ceasing its laughter to look at the Pokemon in front of it.

"B…Bell… sprout…" **(5)** It muttered in a weak and pained voice. It almost seemed afraid of Naruto and Chimchar, but their concerned eyes told a different story.

"Easy there, I'm not here to hurt you…" Naruto explained quietly, as he grabbed a Super Potion from his bag and began to spray on the wounds on the grass Pokemon's arms and face. It winced in pain, but it felt the wounds go away. It did not mean most of the pain went away though, but the face the Flower Pokemon adopted was one with confusion. Almost as if it did not expect help.

'_It won't survive if I just use a Potion… maybe Nurse Tsunade knows…'_ Naruto said in his mind, as he gently picked up the wounded Pokemon and began to run towards the nearby Pokemon Center, with Chimchar adopting a serious face.

'_Could it be…? Was this Bellsprout harmed by… humans?'_ **(6) **Were the thoughts of Chimchar, gripping its hand tightly unconsciously on the threads of Naruto's clothing.

"Chim…" Chimchar muttered darkly in its breath, with Naruto grip his hands even tighter around the Bellsprout at the mention of what Chimchar has said.

**.o0o.**

"Is Bellsprout going to live, Nurse Tsunade?" Naruto asked, worried for the Pokemon in front of him, lying on the white operating bed, being sprayed with Potions with a Chansey checking up on the poor Flower Pokemon.

"It was a close call. If you hadn't picked it up in half an hour, there was no way that Bellsprout would live, kid…" Nurse Tsunade, a little older and a little more serious and rugged than the one back at Pewter City, gently responded. **(7)** "It was a good thing you were there, and it was smart using a Super Potion, getting a couple of its worst wounds out of the way. It'll be all better in the next few days, Menma." Naruto could not help but plaster a small, yet proud smile on his face.

"Char? Chim chimchar?" Chimchar asked in its own language. The Nurse tilted her head and furrowed her eyebrows in confusion from Chimchar's dialect, but thankfully, Naruto helped with the translation.

"He asks about what made Bellsprout into this. Do you know?" Naruto suggested, with Tsunade giving a thoughtful look on her face.

"It's possibly from a losing scuffle on Bellsprout's side. I just didn't think that this Pokemon would be roughed up to this degree… Although… why are you so caring about that Bellsprout anyway?" Tsunade asked, a little curious about why Naruto picked up the injured Pokemon. Sure he is a Trainer and it is not like he owns the Bellsprout, but why go out of his way?

"Well… it's our 'Trainer Way' **(8)** to not abandon other Pokemon in need, Nurse Tsunade." Naruto confidently replied, chuckling a little. Chimchar smiled at that thought, because it's how both of them fight and how they get their strength. It felt great that both of them are given the choice to help Pokemon. But now, Naruto needed to get back into the situation at hand. "Do you think that… maybe it was caused by its trainer?" Naruto asked, his hand gripped tightly. Chimchar's face contorted to one of anger, but chose to rein it inside himself. Tsunade's eyes widened a little before standing up and going to her computer.

"Might be… Let me check-up the databases." She said, picking up a pair of red glasses and began the onslaught of key typing sounds.

"Databases?" Naruto asked, with Chimchar tilting its head.

"It's simply where you can scan a Pokemon in the Pokemon Center, and basically, you can direct the coding of the Pokemon back towards the owner who owns the Pokeball. It's like a search engine." Tsunade explained, with Naruto nodding, but Chimchar didn't seem to get the hint as it narrowed its eyes. It chose to stay quiet though. Soon, a "ding" was heard and the ER room light turned off, with a Chansey coming through with a first aid kit, looking a little worse for wear, but otherwise fine. Chimchar looked like he was going to bolt inside, but then both the Chimp and Naruto looked back at the nurse. "Looks like Chansey's done now. You can go visit that Bellsprout now, kid." Tsunade smiled with approval, as she turned her head back to the computer, still loading the data. That was all the words needed to see a black blur run towards the ER room.

**.o0o.**

_Why…?_

"_You're not fighting back, ya weakling! What a waste! I don't need Pokemon like you!" A blue-haired Trainer snottily remarked, with a mean grin that promised pain. He had sunglasses on his forehead and a pink shirt with a red undershirt underneath. A brown vest on his body was adorned with a large beige stripe, along with black pants and knee-high boots. With him was a large brown bird Pokemon with a long beak, sharp eyes and large brown wings, known as a Fearow. Its beak began to glow and spin and dove, and then all became black. Then almost nothingness, until it saw a light.  
_

**_"Come here..."_**

_"Bell...?" The Pokemon murmured as it outstretched its arm towards the light. It felt more and more of itself slipping away into the darkness, until another leaf arm outstretched, urging the Flower Pokemon to take it.  
_

**_"Come to the light..."_**

_"Bell...?" It asked again, with more confusion this time, but before it even thought of the question, the light shined brightly.  
_

**.o0o.**

"Sprout…!"

The Bellsprout woke up in a cold sweat, almost feeling the phantom pain from the **Drill Peck**. Its eyes wanted to open, but the pain and the sheer light burned its eyelids. It was scared out of its mind.

"Hey, hey…! Calm down, please…!"

A gentle voice stopped the Bellsprout from shaking, and relaxed. For some reason, it felt familiar…

"B-Bell…?" It croaked out quietly as it turned its red tiny eyes, to see the same boy that picked it up from the floor when it was badly incapacitated. Red gentle eyes and black monkey eyes starred back at red tiny beady eyes. It then noticed that there wasn't any pain left.

"Bell?" It looked around its vine-like body and its two leaves. The cuts and scratches were gone. The leaves were good as new again. It felt strong, but the Flower Pokemon still could not believe it after a minute of searching its flowery body. Soon, a chuckle was heard from Naruto, which caught its attention as it turned its yellow head

"Hehe… Relax, I won't hurt you. What Trainer hurts a Pokemon when he brings it to the Pokemon Center?" Naruto gave a smile and offered his hand, like a friend. Something that was alien to Bellsprout, who shivered and tensed at the gesture, despite Naruto's reasoning.

Naruto did look a little hurt, but when he looked into its eyes, it wasn't apprehension or dislike.

It was fear. Something that Naruto could see and understand. However, Chimchar suddenly got off Naruto's shoulder.

"Chimchar?" Naruto asked out loud, wondering what the Chimp is going to do. It had this determination in its eyes.

Bellsprout looked at the serious looking Chimp Pokemon right in front of it. What is it doing here? Is it angry? Was it angry that the Flower Pokemon didn't accept its handshake? Will the human hit him like that other human did with the big-looking bird Pokemon? Will it hurt?! Wi-!?

A sudden warmth around its arms snapped Bellsprout out of its thoughts. All Bellsprout saw was an outstretched hand and a friendly smile on Chimchar's face.

"Char Chim?" It simply said in its own monkey tongue. Bellsprout looked stunned. First it looked serious, but now it was welcoming. Something that felt… warm inside Bellsprout. So with much vigor, the Flower Pokemon grabbed Chimchar's hand firmly and shook.

A smile crept on Bellsprout's face. It finally made a friend, and it didn't hurt! No pain at all! It felt... wonderful.

'I guess Pokemon understand Pokemon better…' Naruto disclosed to himself, as he smiled at the display and mentally shrugged at his previous attempt to connect with other Pokemon.

"Chim Chimchar!" Chimchar requested, as it removed its hand from Bellsprout's and Naruto was offered a handshake to it. Giving a small chortle, Naruto grabbed its hand and shook it politely.

"My name is Menma, and you can call this knucklehead," he pointed towards Chimchar, who glared playfully, "Chimchar. You should rest more. You were hurt badly after all." Naruto assured to Bellsprout, who promptly nodded and laid down on the white sheets to rest. Backing away from the sleeping Pokemon and out of the ER room, Naruto went back to Nurse Tsunade, having a serious face etched on his head.

"Found anything yet?"

"Yep, and apparently, it's one of the recent Trainers that I know of. Apparently, it was by a Trainer named Damian **(9)** who owns a Fearow, no other Pokemon. I remember him now." Tsunade informed, her eyes narrowing on the profile picture on the screen. "That smug jerk-ass… When I get my hands on him…!" She snarled frighteningly. She may have an angry visage on her face, but she was also secretly a little afraid. Afraid of the killer intent the trainer and his Pokemon are exerting behind her, sending her chills.

"You'll have to get in line, Nurse...!" Naruto growled, barely keeping his anger in check.

"Chiii…!" Chimchar seethed, with its anger the same as Naruto. They both knew how most trainers never gave a damn about their Pokemon or the Pokemon around them. Hell, some even become poachers and game hunters and hunted them. They both knew how they were both treated back in Konoha Academy. Right now, their faith in humanity is dwindling. **(10)**

'Tsk, look at me… My anger is getting the best of me… Gai-sensei would be disappointed if I let my anger get the best of me…' Naruto thought to himself while taking deep breaths to calm himself, before lightly squeezing Chimchar's hand on his shoulder. That snapped Chimchar out of its killer intent, but it shot a glare at Naruto.

'_Why?!'_ Chimchar seemed to say with its glaring eyeballs. Naruto's eyes only softened.

"Remember what sensei told us. 'Anger may be a drive, but it also can make us do foolish mistakes.'" Naruto responded to Chimchar's unheard question, which made the Chimp Pokemon take a deep breath and take on a visage of calmness. Tsunade raised an eyebrow from that quote, but decided that it was their own Trainer way.

"Where… can we find him, Nurse Tsunade?" Naruto politely asked, his anger and killer intent disappearing. Tsunade gave a smirk, then turned her whole body towards Naruto. At first when she saw Damian, she thought he was just a no-name brat, but now after hearing what happened to the Bellsprout, she would love to see him get his comeuppance.

"He did say to himself that he'll be training in Mount Moon and that he'll be back in the evening." Nurse Tsunade informed Naruto, keeping the smirk plastered on her face. "Just don't battle near the Pokemon Center if you plan on ambushing him, kid." She advised, giving a hard piercing glare towards Naruto and Chimchar, who shrunk back slightly. The first Nurse Tsunade promised him pain when she glared at him. He will be sure to follow the second one.

Naruto absorbed the information like a sponge, and smiled genuinely. He then put on his hood and began to walk outside towards the setting sun. "Thanks. Keep an eye on Bellsprout for me before I come back with Damian's ego crushed." He said as he puts on his black hood, ready to crush a Trainer's ego.

Tsunade just heaved a sigh and pulled out a bottle of sake. _'That kid…'_ she thought to herself.

**.o0o.**

"Bleh! There's too many weak trainers and Pokemon around here. Maybe I'll find more in the mountains tomorrow." A snobbish voice said in the shadows. Damian, a Pokemon trainer, arrogantly smirked at his surroundings, slowly being cloaked by the shadows of the night. He may have destroyed many of the wild Pokemon here and the Trainers that passed by today to get to Mt. Moon, but he was still raring up for another battle. He needed to get stronger. Although two thought bugged him. Why is Fearow my only Pokemon? And where can I find some stronger Pokemon?

When he first started out, he only started with a weak Rattata. After many failed battles and trials and other Pokemon, Damian was getting impatient. Lucky for him, when he was hunting for Pokemon near the Viridian Forest, he found a rare and powerful Fearow that decimated all of Damian's Pokemon. It was only caught by luck as he desperately threw a Pokeball and after three shakes, it was caught. Soon, Damian began to use Fearow more and more, which won him the Boulderbadge from the scarred man Iruka. But with everything good that was happening began to have repercussions. His Rattata and the two other Pokemon he caught began to fear the Fearow and Damian, in all his arrogant glory said he didn't need them anymore and scared them away with Fearow. Thus, it developed a mindset that only the strong will win battles and that if he caught them, he will be unstoppable. **(11)**

"Hmmm, if I can find a stronger Pokemon…. I hope it's a Magmar! …Or maybe a Rhydon! …Or maybe…!" Damian snickered quietly to himself at the thought of an unstoppable team. Who needs training and bonding when you can just catch strong Pokemon? And if he can't find a strong Pokemon? He might as well steal one from a Trainer! They don't really deserve a strong Pokemon, do they? Only someone as strong as genius as him can utilize them!

Damian was just excited by the thought that he couldn't help himself but rub his palms together in excitement. "I'll be unstoppable! I'll catch anyone strong for my team! Whether it be from the wild or from a Trainer!" He blurted out, feeling no guilt about his goal at all. Immediately however, an ominous voice shook him out of his thoughts.

"Is _that_ what you are aiming for?" A voice, no older than 13, echoed in the woods. On the left came a mysterious figure, cloaked in black. On his shoulder is a chimp-looking Pokemon, but he has never seen it before. However, what caught his attention were the red eyes from underneath the hood. That did not deter his arrogance however.

"Heh! That's right! Prepare to be stomped!" He declared as he threw his Pokeball. Out came the Beak Pokemon Fearow, a large brown Flying-type Pokemon with two wide wings, two sharp eyes, talons, a red mohawk and a beak that is sharp as a drill and at least a foot and a half long. It gave a screech before diving beak-first towards the mysterious stranger.

"Knock it away, Chimchar!" The stranger commanded and the Chimp Pokemon leaped up from the shoulder and gave a vicious backhand to the Fearow, effectively knocking the bird all the way back to Damian in a crash landing.

"You…!" Damian began, but couldn't choose the thousand insults he can think of as an insult to the stranger in black. Himself, lose? Preposterous! "Damn you! Fearow, finish him with **Drill Peck**!"

Fearow's beak, as it began to straighten itself, began to glow and spin. Soon it began to spin faster as Fearow took off and dove straight towards Chimchar again, this time with the goal to finish the battle for good.

"Don't think so! **Thunderpunch Current**!" The stranger commanded. Blue lightning surrounded the Chimp Pokemon and when Fearow got nearby, the lightning was too powerful to shake off. Thrown out of balance, the Beak Pokemon clumsily hit the ground beside the Chimchar, wide open for one last attack. Damian can only widen his eyes in shock.

"Argh! Get up, you stupid bird!" Damian yelled, blinded by his impatience and anger to win the battle. That wasn't going to work obviously.

"Finish it with a **Focused** **Thunderpunch**!" **(12)** The stranger commanded one final time, and Chimchar obliged, sending a lightning-covered fist at the face of the large bird Pokemon into the air, making it faint immediately before it crashed into the ground.

Damian could not believe it. His best and only Pokemon was beaten senselessly by some no-name Trainer. His hands twitched erratically and his teeth gritted hard. His eyes shown absolute fury, but it did not make the stranger flinch.

"Fine! I don't need Fearow!" He declared right off the bat, and readied a Pokeball. "Instead, I'll steal YOUR Pokemon!"** (13)** He screamed as he threw a Pokeball towards the Chimchar. The stranger can only sigh until…

**SMASH**

"You're a fool, Damian." The stranger simply stated, with the crushed remains of the Pokeball in Chimchar's chi-induced hands, its face cold as stone. "Strength alone will never win you battles."

"YOU'RE WRONG!" Damian shouted, losing his sanity the more he looked at the stranger with a disgusted face. "HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT IN FRONT OF MY FACE!" He then took out a whole mass of Pokeballs from his bag. "I'LL BE TAKING THAT CHIMCHAR WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT!"

"SPROUT!"

**BOOOOOM!**

But before he could throw them, a spherical ball of green light charged forth from behind the insane Trainer and exploded, scattering the Pokeballs and creating a small cloud of dust, before revealing Damian, but his clothes look a little singed and dirty and his hair all clumped. Behind him, however, caught the attention of the stranger.

"Bellsprout?!" He cried out, in surprise and in relief that it is okay. It is still looking a little beaten up, but the Flower Pokemon will manage.

"Bell-sprout!" It cried out jovially as it ran towards Menma and Chimchar. It looked incredibly happy according to Chimchar, and somehow slightly satisfied.

'_Possibly from the good __**Energy Ball**__ to the one you despised, Bellsprout.'_ Naruto thought.

"YOU!" Damian cried, shocked to see who blasted him and abhorred that it was the 'weakling' that he ditched and hurt.

"So he was the one who hurt you, Bellsprout? I shouldn't be surprised." Menma said with a hint of a smile. Chimchar stood by Bellsprout's side, both of them glaring at the dirty Damian on the ground. So many things has happened that made Damian fall to pieces.

"Please stop! Who the hell are you?!" He cried out desperately, angry, scared, guilty and humiliated, but all he ever got in return was a name.

"Remember the name… Menma…!"

"I…. I….! UWAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

And so, Damian desperately ran away crying, hoping he would go to the Pokemon Center, with Fearow in tow. **(14)**

**.o0o.**

The morning sun rose up, beaming on the forests and the sound of chirping Pokemon accompanied the sound of the wind. After a hearty breakfast and a few stretches, the duo were prepared to head into Mt. Moon. Tsunade accompanied them towards the exit of the Center before saying goodbye.

"So, you're checking out now, Menma?" Nurse Tsunade asked with a smile, being handed the keys to their rooms and signing them out of the Pokemon Center. In front of them, Menma had his black cloak and fighting gear underneath, with Chimchar, with its bandages and headband glory, on his shoulder.

"Yep! Thanks for the rooms, Nurse." Naruto and Chimchar both bowed, with Tsunade giving a small chuckle.

"Now now! No need to bow! It makes me feel older than I need to be!" The nurse replied, with a pat on Naruto's head. "After what you did to that Damian kid, I think I can get away with you calling me old once." She added specifically remembering the Damian boy wallowing to get his Fearow fixed, out of anger and hoping to get revenge on this… 'Menma' character. Even though Tsunade just wanted to kick him out due to Damian's reputation and from causing such a ruckus in the Center, her vow to heal any and all Pokemon that come into the center overruled that, even with seniority.

"Oh uhhh hehehe…. Sorry about that." Naruto apologized, even though it wasn't needed.

"By the way…" Tsunade began as her eyes began to crane towards the left, "That Bellsprout you rescued? Apparently it looks like it wants to have a word with you."

Naruto quirked an eyebrow, before turning his head to the right seeing Bellsprout. It then hobbled over towards the black-cloaked fighter with hopeful eyes.

"What's up, Bellsprout? Come to say goodbye?" Naruto asked with a smile, although Chimchar had a small sad frown. Bellsprout suddenly looked shattered, but shook its head vigorously, then grabbed Naruto's free hand, almost like a child to a father.

"Sounds like it wants to join ya, Menma!" Tsunade remarked, something that was on Naruto's mind.

"You really want to come with me, Bellsprout?" Naruto reiterated, wide-eyed from the proposal that Bellsprout had offered. His only response was Bellsprout happily jumping up and down and nodding as well. Then it proceeded to act out like a boxer, trying to fight with its green leafy arms, and being dodgy with its stem-like body. "Really… So you want to be strong." Naruto said, pulling out a Pokeball. "Then I guess I should say this: 'Welcome to the family, Bellsprout!'"

"Bell!" It agreed happily as it slammed its leaf arm on the button of the Pokeball. The capsule opened and in a bright flash of light, the Flower Pokemon was sucked in. After three shakes, it glimmered and relaxed, signalling the catch.

"Hehehe… alright!" Naruto cheered, Chimchar pumping its fists up. They finally got their second Pokemon. They then released said Pokemon, who was smiling gleefully and ready to train and become strong. Now that Chimchar and Naruto caught their second Pokemon, an initiation is in order. **(15)**

"YOSH, CHIMCHAR! ARE YOU READY TO JOURNEY ON?!" Naruto cheerfully exclaimed with exuberance.

"CHIIIIM CHAAAAAAAAAAR!" Chimchar cheered, with the same amount of exuberance.

"THAT'S RIGHT! NOW IT'S TIME FOR TRAINING! ARE YOU READY BELLSPROUT!?" Naruto asked (or demanded). Bellsprout hesitated a little, before nodding at the prospect.

"CHAR CHIIIIIIIM CHAHAAAAAA!" Chimchar jumped up and got on its hands.

"THAT'S RIGHT, CHIMCHAR! LET'S AWAKEN OUR FLAMES OF POWEEEEEER! BELLSPROUT! IT'S TIME FOR YOU TO AWAKEN YOUR FLAMES OF POWER! LET'S DO 2000 LAPS AROUND THE MOUNTAIN ON OUR HAAAAANDS!" Naruto cried with delight, before both trainer and simian charged forward, leaving behind dust clouds and jolly laughter.

...

Bellsprout can only sweatdrop at the amount of... flames of power both of them had.

_"I guess every trainer had their quirks..."_ It thought, as it began to go on its arms and handstand a lot slower than the two that charged off. Now the only one left was the Nurse.

...

"That kid..." Having the same exact thought, but under a different opinion, she went back into the center to sip on her favorite drink.

* * *

**guest: Ummm... well, it's a thought... I did mention that Kyuubi isn't in the story, but I never mentioned anything about KURAMA will be in the story. Although that can be determined by you guys!  
**

**withdranwnmadness000: Thanks for the compliment! If you stick around, maybe you'll find out!**

**NinjaFang1331: Welp, read this chapter and that answers your question!**

**suntan140: Yeah, and it kinda happened again with the next opponent, but Naruto and Chimchar will only be in the "strong" category, instead of the Godlike category compared to the other people who do make godlike Naruto Pokemon crossovers. (No offense to any author who writes them)**

**War Acolyte: Aww, the best thing I heard today! :3 Yeah, the idea kinda sparked literally from the question of why there is no "lightning" word in any Electric attack. Then I thought of the "Raikiri", then the rest is history! XD Now whether Chimchar has Blaze or Iron Fist... we'll talk more about it. Who knows what Naruto and Chimchar reverse-engineered!**

**Rebmul: Can't spoil it!**

**Fox Among Foxes: I'm not like most fanfiction writers out there ;)**

**ivan0061509: Aye it was! Here's the next one!**

* * *

**(1) Yeah, one would be confused about it too. Plus, Naruto caught the thing with his BARE HANDS! Also, that isn't the last time you'll see Barboach! It's just that it will be really REALLY late before you see it again.  
**

**(2) I'm taking a twisted "A Son Forgotten" route for this one. That's all I will say.**

**(3) I love that line :3**

**(4) Think of it as payback from Chimchar to Naruto from the introduction.**

**(5) BALLS TO THE WALL, PEOPLE! You thought it was probably a Dratini or some other rare Pokemon! Why a Bellsprout? Because the Flower Pokemon was never used in ANY NarutoxPokemon crossover fanfiction! I shall be the first!**

**(6) Dark thoughts. There is a reason why I'm labeling this with a number.**

**(7) The Nurse Tsunade was in her mid-twenties, who was sweet on the outside, but had a hard inside with anybody who dared to battle near the Pokemon Center. This Nurse Tsunade was in her late thirties, who is a little vain about her age, hard on the outside, but friendly on the inside and loves sake. Basically, this Tsunade is kinda like the Tsunade we know in the regular Naruto canon.**

**(8) What is japanese for Trainer? If Ninja Way is "nindo", then what is Trainer Way?**

**(9) Yeah, kinda expected for any avid NarutoxPokemon fanboy/fangirl.**

**(10) Their faith in humanity was low due to the Konoha Academy and their past. I will not explain any further.**

**(11) Wasn't this his mindset back when he was showcased in the Pokemon episodes?**

**(12) Read: Chidori**

**(13) Damian did not know that he can't catch a Pokemon that is already caught, and that it was against the rules. He was blinded by his own rage to even notice that fact.**

**(14) That won't be the last we will see of him.**

**(15) I feel as though you guys deserve it. I was not able to make the omake I promised back in last chapter, but maybe I'll treat you guys with this. The failed omake was the reason I was late with this. The reason I didn't label this as an omake was that... well, it actually happened.**

**Whew done! Hello everybody, Irate here with another chapter of The Failures' Journey! I think I've already stated what is needed to be stated. There is no omake, but rather funny Gai/Lee banter at the end. Anyway, I hope you guys have a fantastic night. Also, check out my Let's Play channel! It's **

**Gamer of Glory**

**I'm doing my Crash 3 Let's Play now! See you guys!**


	5. Chapter 4 - Team Sound Part 1

**Poll Results so far (The poll isn't done yet! Although I am clueless on these... "unique voters..."**

**Charmander: 13**

**Growlithe: 12**

**Magmar: 8**

**Ponyta: 8**

**Vulpix: 6**

**Flareon: 6**

**Poll is still open! And it will be for a while. Also, pairing suggestions are nice as well!**

* * *

_Darkness._

_That was all that Chimchar saw with its black eyes open._

_As the Chimp looked around, there was a white ceiling, veiled in darkness. The only source of light was from a nearby window, showing the white moon in all of its glory. Surrounding Chimchar were curtains indicating privacy for the patient. Chimchar then noticed that it was lying on a soft hospital bed, something that it has been accustomed to from the many hospital visits due to injuries more severe than the last. Chimchar's eyes became downcast as it stared into the ceiling, thinking and shivering from all the abuse it has suffered. Either that or it was from the cold._

_From shivering, Chimchar was reminded about its defect. Its cause of its inability to battle. What he symbolizes. From the back recesses of its mind, the Chimp could not find hide nor hair of any memory of its past. How it all began without its fire. How its parents were complete unknowns. Whether they loved their child or not. How he was left here in this prison of an Academy. All it could remember from far back was waking up in the same exact bed that it was on. There was the wrinkly professor, with a couple other humans in white shirts. But… that's it._

_The Chimp felt no pain around its joints, but can smell the lingering odour of medicine and Potions in order to heal the injuries. Only a little bit of soreness was left from that practice battle… if you could call it a battle. It was all just a painful session of abuse by the other students. Perhaps all it could have done is do a Scratch attack, but never could it have performed even the tiniest of Fire attacks compared to the other Fire type Pokemon in the academy. Three boys have ganged up on the Chimchar with three other Pokemon. The Chimp can distinctly remember the attacks those Pokemon fired: Ember, Bite, and Confusion. Their voices echoed in the bright darkness._

'_Hah! Look at him! This little loser!'_

'_He can't even breathe fire! What kind of fire type is he if he can't use fire?!'_

'_It was fate that made him like this. A failure!'_

_'Hey! Let's see if we can make him spew fire!'_

_'Hn! Good idea, dog breath. If not, we'll just get rid of him for good!'_

_'Good idea. The world has no place for him anyway!'_

_Chimchar felt like crying. It felt terrible for being so weak and pitiful. If it can't even fight on par with the others, how can it protect its trainer? Protect its friends? Would it even make any friends? What about finding happiness? What about becoming strong?! Why can't it breathe fire?! There were too many damn questions that Chimchar is afraid to answer! But WHY?! _

…

_Mostly because he may already have anticipated the answer. It was a big fat pair of words._

_**NO PURPOSE.**_

_By now, tears were streaming down its face. Its black eyes now shimmering with sadness. Chimchar bit its lower lip while sobbing and hiccupping, with its hands gripping the sheets. With tears dripping down its face, Chimchar had to face the gripping reality that it'll remain a failure for life, faced with the unending abuse and disgrace as a Pokemon. Having no purpose in life and the inability to find one in his existence is just debilitating. And that scared Chimchar._

_It scared it to death._

_Trying to push out the negative thoughts and sorrow as best as it can, Chimchar laid down on its back, with no flame on his behind, and closed its eyes._

_**Sniff**_

_Chimchar suddenly opened its eyes in alert from the sound. Someone was here, in the dark hospital in the middle of the night… and crying? That was an oddity to the Chimp, especially since he never saw any other human or Pokemon here cry. Turn its head to see where it was coming from, it turned its head right to see a child._

_**Sob**_

_A human child curled up in a ball, being shined under the moonlight. On its back was a torn, dirty orange shirt, with a spiral symbol on the back, and tattered blue shorts. There was a mop of blonde hair, but that was all Chimchar could make out of._

_**Gurgle**_

_Hearing a child cry was new to the Chimp. Heck, seeing someone else cry in general was incredibly heartbreaking. Chimchar couldn't help it, but it felt compelled to get off the bed and just lie near the child for comfort._

_**Sniiifffff**_

_Chimchar did just that. It hopped off of its bed, feeling no pain from the fall, despite the height, and climbed up the bed legs to reach the crying boy. It got a better look at him, and the Chimp widened its eyes, recognizing the face of the boy and its three light whisker marks per cheek. He was the one who saved it from those bullies._

"_Chim…" Chimchar murmured to itself, almost like a thank you to the sleeping Naruto, but that did not help. Instead, Naruto began to shift uncomfortably, almost as if…_

_**No… stop…!**_

_6-and-a-half year old Naruto began to cry in his sleep, more tears spilling out and panic began to take over. Chimchar adopted an immediate concerned look as the faux Fire type watched Naruto squirm, and immediately placed its hand on Naruto's shoulder for comfort._

"_Char… Chim-char…" The Chimp softly spoke, which seemingly calmed Naruto's night-terror down, but after a split-second, a glow of yellow appeared suddenly on Chimchar's hand. Suddenly it was assaulted by a large splitting headache._

"_CHAAAAAAAR!" It screamed, its hands shooting up to keep its noggin intact. However, the pain made the Chimp double over from behind and fall off the bed and onwards towards the ground._

_Everything slowed down. Almost painstakingly slow as Chimchar tried to calm its ever-growing headache. Voices were heard as if they came from out of nowhere. And suddenly, phrases caught its mind as everything went black._

_**Yahiko-nii… **_

_**Konan-nee… **_

_**Nagato-nii… **_

_**Why…? Please… please stop…**_

_**I want it all to end... **_**(1)**

**.o0o.**

"Huff… huff… huff… How… was that…? Bellsprout…?"

"Chim…?"

Both trainer and Pokemons were huffing and panting from their morning routine. 1000 laps around the forest area while running handstand? 500 push-ups and sit-ups with rocks on their backs? Weights in their arms, legs and body? Bellsprout paled since the list went on…

Thankfully though, they cut a lot of slack for Bellsprout being really new to the workout plan. Since the Flower Pokemon could not do handstands, they settled for just a regular yet stilted training warmup without much thought put into it. 20 laps was sufficient, but it was quite the load for Bellsprout. Thankfully, Bellsprout's determination did not deter it from quitting halfway. After warmups were done, Naruto had to think of a training strategy for Bellsprout.

It certainly isn't a powerful muscular type of Pokemon that was for sure. Trying to think of a plan, he began to reminiscence with words of Gai-sensei. As soon as a voice in his head quoted sensei's words from when Naruto and Chimchar were getting training advice, it struck home for Naruto as he was thinking of a plan.

**.o0o.**

"_Remember, Naruto! Green spandex works wonders for fighting and using the Goken I taught you! Make sure you cut your hair to a more turbulent style like me, and always remember to ALWAYS BE IN YOUR SPRINGTIME OF YOOOOUUUU-!"_

**.o0o.**

Okay wrong quote. After having a moment to rid of the chill up the spine, Naruto thought harder, during the time when both of them asked Gai for _actual_ advice.

**.o0o.**

"_Remember, Naruto! Power alone does not win battles! One much have skill, speed, experience, confidence, willpower, and finally, the most important step! THE UNDYING FLAMING SPRINGTIME OF YOOOOUUUU-!"_

**.o0o.**

Naruto cut it off right there for his own sanity. But the words of advice hit home. Instead of intense strength training for Bellsprout, he would have it do intense speed, acrobatics and skill training, prioritizing strength.

So he planned the regimen like this: extensive speed and endurance training with laps and stretches, being used to flipping around, acrobatics, and martial arts that revolve around acrobatics, speed, vine kicks and leaf arms for combat. **(2)**

For now, Naruto, Bellsprout and Chimchar were staying near the same Pokemon Center near the base of Mt. Moon. Naruto and Chimchar followed their crazy regimen, according to the Flower Pokemon, while said Pokemon was doing the speed regimen that Naruto had recommended. After two days of its intense training and sparring, it felt comfortable with this fighting style. Not only that, but Bellsprout found its trainer to have a soft, but firm hand. The black-haired human taught it with a gentle smile, yet still bursting with energy and strictness in order to have his student bring out its power and true potential. If Bellsprout kept failing, Menma would just kneel and give pointers. He was never mad, angry or downright enraged at the failures, but always encouraged to keep trying. Since moves like these take time, Bellsprout understood and kept going at its vine kicks.

It couldn't help but smile at its ideal trainer/sensei.

**.o0o.**

Three days has passed after the events of meeting Bellsprout and humiliating Damian, and morning has arisen. After warmups, Naruto was right at the entrance of the cave. Chimchar was on his right shoulder, and Bellsprout on the left. Naruto smiled to himself, confident that with the right teamwork, tackling the caves of Mt. Moon will be a cinch. After a deep breath, he finally let out the words:

"ARE YOU READY, CHIMCHAR!? BELLSPROUT?!" Naruto exclaimed, with a smile on his face.

"CHIMCHAAAAR!" Chimchar replied exuberantly, radiating with confidence.

"Bellsprout!" Bellsprout cheered with its leaf arm raised, but Naruto wasn't convinced.

"I SAID, ARE YOU READY?! BELLSPROUT?!" Naruto shouted again.

"BEELLLLLLSPROUT!" Bellsprout cheered again, with more confidence and excitement. Finally, it can go on adventures and become strong. Now accompanied with its new sensei and friend, the Flower Pokemon couldn't wait!

"That's more like it! C'mon, let's go in!" Naruto pulled out a flashlight and carefully took his steps into the dark caverns.

**.o0o.**

"Cmon! We've barely reached the quota, kids! So don't stop, unless you want to suffer the wrath of our Lord, do you?"

A tough, yet snide voice instructed. In the room, several men and women with a big letter "S" on the back of their black uniforms. They also had musical note symbols on their armstraps and black paper-boy hats on their heads. The grunts also wore long tight pants and white boots. The leader in the middle, overseeing the whole fiasco had white hair, wrapped into a ponytail and round glasses. He had a thin muscular build of an adult and a snide grin on his face, ecstatic that he might be able to finish on time, and delighted because these delightful little trainers just had to come and interfere with the operation.

"Kabuto-sama, we have located only a few fossils and evolutionary stones, but the Moon Stone is yet to be seen." One of the Grunt messengers reported. Kabuto's grin fell from his face, but he kept his composure.

"Tsk. Figures. These Konoha kids aren't adults, so it'll take twice as long." Kabuto thought, thinking that he can probably sell those stones and fossils in the black market. "Everyone, grab some pickaxes and start digging! No complaints!"

"Yes sir!" The grunts all saluted, grabbed their gear and started to chip away from the rocky walls. Alongside the grunts were a group of young trainers who were still forced to pick at the mountain caves.

"Crap! Another nail broken…!" Ino growled irritatingly as she dropped the pickaxe nonchalantly and inspected her fingernail frantically. Her long hair was in a little bit of a mess and her skin and clothes were drenched in sweat and covered in bruises. Alongside her was her Abra, sleeping on the job and a recently caught Jigglypuff who was frightened by all the grunts and their Pokemon eyeing it weirdly. "Damn it! I wish Sasuke-kun was here! He would help me with this dirty work! Too bad he's at another part of this place… with Forehead…!" She snarled, earning her a look from Chouji

"That's the third time you said that while we were in here, Ino." Chouji tiredly replied, which earned a heavy glare from the blonde girl herself. The round boy has callouses from swinging his pickaxe around and sweat and dirt covered his palms and forehead. Even though he's possibly the strongest out of all the boys in terms of human strength, he doesn't have enough stamina to help. Munchlax, Chouji's starting Pokemon, was also trying to break the wall, but apparently after one punch it just shrugged and gave up. Suddenly two rumbles were heard. "Besides I'm hungry." Chouji offhandedly told himself.

"Will you please shut it, imbecile?! That was the sixth time you said that!" Neji snapped at the fat boy, who flinched under the steely white-eyed gaze. "I swear… it was because of your weakness that fate turned us into mere slaves for these buffoons…!" He muttered to himself, but apparently Kiba heard him.

"Hey, that's not entirely our fault! We didn't even know these jerkfaces were here! Plus, you challenged their leader right out in the open! Don't blame us!" Kiba remarked, pointing fingers at Neji with fiercely angry eyes. Then this became an argument back and forth between Neji and Kiba.

"Really?! It was fate that you lost to a grunt! I lost due to fighting the leader, for it was fate that he would win!"

"Why don't you just shove fate up your ass?! It's the sixteenth time you mentioned that fate bullcrap too! Blame yourself for once!

"BLAME MYSELF?! YOU WERE THE ONE WHO CHARGED IN HEAD FIRST!"

"WELL, YOU WERE THE ONE WHO LOST, SO DON'T BLAME US FOR YOUR WEAKNESS, YOU WHITE EYED PRICK!"

"TAKE THAT BACK, YOU INSUFFERABLE MUTT!"

"NO YOU, YA PRICK!"

"ARF! ARF!"

"YEAH, TELL HIM, AKAMARU!"

"WHAT THE-?! YOUR PET ISN'T EVEN IN THE ARGUMENT!"

"YES HE IS! HE'S MY POKEMON AFTER ALL!

"WHY I OUGHTA…! MAYBE I'LL BRING OUT MY POKEMON AND TEACH YOU A LESSON RIGHT HERE!"

"FINE BY M-!"

**CRACK!**

Right before the fight became physical, a pickaxe slammed right in between their faces, with such force that it was embedded deep enough to cause a couple of cracks. Kiba and Neji froze in fear and slowly turned their heads, feeling the cold sweat dripping off their necks. Right before them was a large hulking brute of a man, with three patches of orange hair and piercing orange eyes. The man had a plain, pale face, with a necklace with sharp charms dangling underneath. He wore a beige tank-top, a large purple rope belt, black thin pants and sandals with bandages around his ankles. Right now, the man's face was threatening, enough to make Kiba squirm backwards and Neji to flinch.

"Break it up, trash! I won't miss next time…!" He snarled, his eyes staring into their very souls. The large muscular, yet round man stayed in the same staring posture, eyeing Kiba and Neji, frozen and afraid to make a move.

"_Eh?! What the hell is up with that freak?!"_ Ino thought, with her eyes widened and her form shaking. Those eyes were the eyes of a ferocious demon. The situation was so tense, one could cut it with a knife like hot butter. Thankfully for the trainers, a tired grunt came in to interrupt the tense situation.

"Commander Jirobou-sama! There's a large fucking boulder that we're unable to break! We need your assistance and strength!"

The large man, Jirobou was his name, turned around to meet the grunt's eyes, still as piercing as ever. An audible growl was heard as Jirobou gritted his teeth. Slowly, his massive hand tightened, then began to move towards the grunt, in an effort to strangle him. Seeing this, the grunt gave a small yelp and then bowed his head in apology.

"F-Forgive me Commander! I did not mean to make a scene with my obscene language!" **(3)** He bowed his head even lower. Kiba and Neji can faintly hear sobbing as his face was planted closely to the ground.

'_Poor guy…'_ Were the thoughts of the Konoha trainers, before Jirobou's hand moved and grabbed the neck of the grunt and lifting him up. The grunt's wails got louder and more desperate, but was quickly silenced when Jirobou narrowed the distance between his face and the grunt's in a split second.

"Don't you EVER… use that language in front of me, trash…!" Jirobou threatened before dropping the teary mess of a grunt. Then he turned his head towards the trainers, still stunned from what they saw. "You too." He simply advised, leaving no room for questioning, as he stomped out of their general area.

Shikamaru summed up his experience with the round man, terrifying as he is, with the word: "Troublesome."

"That's the twenty-sixth time you said that." Chouji dumbly remarked.

"Oh, for the love of-!"

**BOOM!**

**.o0o.**

"Huff…Huff… Mining for rocks isn't good for the figure… Huff…" Sakura was dead tired, as she stood panting with her arms barely steady on her knees. She would not sit on the rocks for they might dirty her qipao. Her dress was a little dirty with a scrap and bruise due to safe-keeping, but mainly, it was covered in sweat, so it was ruined regardless. Her young Bulbasaur looked at her intuitively, worried that she might break. "But… as long as… I have Sa…Sasuke-kun…" He told herself as she was about to make her way to Sasuke, but her target of affection pushed her off.

"Get off!" He snapped at her. She flinched a little from the rejection having little storm clouds rain on top of her. Sasuke seethed as he gripped his pickaxe and hammered into the rock as hard as he could. The frustration is getting to him, as Charmander tried to do the same by imitating its master with its own pickaxe. Sadly, the equipment is too heavy and it tumbled backwards. "Dammit… how the hell did we end up here?! I should be out of this place, beating the Gym Leaders as I go, not mining like a slave!" He snarled to himself.

Hinata only kept to herself, scared out of her mind from all the grunts working around them. She even saw a few eyeing her of what she carried under her thick jacket. That made her shiver. _"Naruto-kun…"_ **(4) **She thought. Just the mere thought of him with his million-watt smile made her blush and tighten her hands with confidence. He has been her light in the dark tunnels of life, especially when they were young. Hinata remembered the time when he made Sasuke nearly burn his clothes off from Professor Sarutobi's Charizard, or watch him at a distance, catching a Barboach, even though it was a native to the Kanto Region. Most of all, she remembered the vivid memory of Naruto defending a Chimchar who could not use fire.

**.o0o.**

_LEAVE IT ALONE!_

**.o0o.**

She smiled from the large amount of bravery he radiated. It was that alone that she tried her hardest to become better at battling, especially with Psychic types, since the Hyuuga always specialized in Psychics. However, when Naruto deserted Konoha Academy for some mysterious reason, her resolve shattered like stained glass. She cried for nights, wishing she was okay and that he'll come back, but to no avail. Since then, she tried to dive into battling more, not wasting a beat. The growth did not peak towards the level of her cousin Neji, but it was still tremendous.

"_I won't give up! Naruto is depending on me to be strong! So is Ralts! And Clefairy too!"_ Hinata thought as she picked up the pickaxe with a new face of determination and slammed it into the hard rock. However, it made the axe wobble, shaking Hinata's hands, and then her body. It made her dizzy just by the sheer feeling. _"Dizzy…!"_ She cried in her head as she had to sit down to calm her spinning head.

"It is logical that we keep quiet, Uchiha. After all, they will be keeping an eye on you since you initiated the fight first." Shino said, panting from using his pickaxe. His trenchcoat was getting a little sweaty, and his head began to droop from perspiration. His glasses are fine however. Caterpie crawled up on Shino's back, obviously worried about the Bug trainer. Kakuna, however, stayed perfectly still. _"I never thought Pokemon's behavioral patterns change that drastically."_ Shino thought to himself when Weedle evolved. Before, the worm was quite the clinger, always clinging on Shino's arm or shoulder. Kakuna however… prefers to sit around.

"Hn… Well, maybe if you would have helped m-!"

"You specifically said that you did not want help." Shino interrupted.

"But you d-!"

"Taking potshots for you counts as helping, Uchiha." Shino interrupted again.

"W-!"

"I do not stand a chance against them as logic dictates, especially since Caterpie was recently caught and Kakuna is immobile right now." Shino interrupted yet again.

"CAN YOU STO-!?"

"No I won't. It's fun to do this after all, Uchiha." Shino quipped, **(5)** a little bit of amusement sprinkled in his usual reserved voice. Hinata couldn't help but giggle from Shino's humour, and Sakura was trying to calm down the seething Sasuke from throwing the pickaxe towards Shino's direction. In the end however, the raven-haired boy just settled to slamming the pickaxe in the wall before walking away and began brooding.

"Hn. Whatever…" The Uchiha settled to sit down, with his Charmander sitting beside the boy. The Lizard tried to adopt the same expression as the Uchiha, but it looked a little forced. Sakura had hearts in her eyes as she stared adoringly towards Sasuke. After a few long minutes of silence and hammering the pickaxes, Shino gave a soft sigh and turned to Hinata who had her head down and wasn't really trying with mining.

"Is there something wrong, Hinata?" Shino asked, with the tiniest bit of concern in his voice. That snapped Hinata out of her thoughts.

"Huh?! Oh, I-I'm fine, Shino. Just a little light-headed, that's all." She replied, although it wasn't fully true. It just was not a lie.

"...Are you thinking about _him_ again?" Shino muttered, knowing Hinata's admiration of the blonde boy. That made Hinata jump with an "eep".

"I-I-I-I-I…" She stuttered as her face was blushing a mild pink dust.

"You miss him the most out of all of us, isn't that right?" He asked, almost as if reading the shy girl's thoughts out loud. She lowered her head again, indicating that the trench coat boy was correct.

"Y-Yes… I-It's just…." Hinata muttered quietly, but it was enough to be heard by Shino, who had a worried glance behind the sunglasses. But before she could finish…

**BOOM!**

The ground and rubble shook, everyone nearly hit the deck out of panic. Hinata and Sakura screamed as then covered their heads from the falling debris, while Sasuke and Shino adopted panic and confused faces respectively.

"INTRUDER! INTRUDER ALERT!" Cries were heard as the grunts dropped their pickaxes and lootbags and converged towards the mine entrance.

"What's going on?!" Sakura cried as she frantically hugged her crying Bulbasaur, before the tremors stopped.

"Sounds like a good time to escape." Sasuke replied, as he returned Charmander and rushed to where the grunts were heading.

"Wait for me, Sasuke-kun!" The pink-haired girl wailed as she ran, with Hinata and Shino frantically following behind.

**.o0o.**

"What the hell are they doing…?" Naruto mumbled to himself as both Bellsprout and Chimchar watched men in funny suits and spandex with musical note symbols carry a bunch of fossil-like rocks. They were on a low ledge, just hiding underneath the men they were watching. **(6)**

"Chim Char Chim…?" The Chimp looked over Naruto's shoulder, while Bellsprout peeked over the other one.

"They sure don't look like your regular excavation team, Chimchar." Naruto replied, growing a little suspicious because of their outfits. In a large mining shaft, a group of men and women with black outfits with music notes had gathered. The sounds they heard were pickaxes cracking the surface of the caverns. However, two of the people in the group of black suits stood out. One in a purple and beige outfit and one that is large and burly with orange hair on the back of his head.

"Kabuto-sama, we have located only a few fossils and evolutionary stones, but the Moon Stone is yet to be seen." Naruto heard one of the black suits relaying the message to the white-haired man.

"Tsk. Figures. These Konoha kids aren't adults, so it'll take twice as long." The white haired man remarked to himself, then addressed the black suits in the area. "Everyone, grab some pickaxes and start digging! No complaints!"

"_Konoha kids? Were they kidnapped by these freaks?"_ Naruto thought.

"Yes sir!" Naruto heard the grunts cheer, salute and after some shuffling, the black-haired boy assumed that the mysterious people just began to excavate the cave. Only two men were left: Kabuto and this orange-haired man.

"There is still no sign of the legendary Moon Stone in this mountain. It hides its secrets well… Commander Jirobou. What is the status on the areas we've cleared?" A white-haired glasses man contemplated aloud. A large burly orange-haired man bowed and handed a couple of documents in his hands to the glasses man.

"Yes, Kabuto-sama. We have breached the available mountain caves that were already made, yet there is still no sign of the fabled Moon Stone." The orange haired bulky man named Jirobou replied.

"Hm… Our Master won't be pleased, Jirobou… We might have to step things up." Kabuto smiled sinisterly, as he took out two Pokeballs and gracefully dropped them. From a flash of white light came two brown Mouse Pokemon, with large brown quills on its back. Both of them have black eyes and snout-like noses. They have sharp curved claws on both hands and feet, two pointy ears, a pointy headpiece, light brown tails and white underbellies. Naruto was awed by what he saw underneath the ledge, as they both looked powerful.

"Time to make our own tunnels, my dear Sandslash! Both of you use **Dig** to create new tunnels for us to mine in!" Kabuto delightfully commanded, hoping to obtain some progress. Both of the Sandslashes began digging with their claws as makeshift shovels and proceeded to drill their ways underground and all around. Kabuto then turned to Jirobou, looking professional and emotionless. "Go check on our prisoners while we are at it. And please keep your tendencies of language prohibition… less physical. We need many of our grunts alive, you know. In the meantime, I will check up on our… _special_ guests."

"Yes Kabuto-sama!" The burly man nodded as he turned around and walked towards another cavern, intent on checking on the Konoha trainers to make sure they are behaving, while Kabuto turned around into a smaller cave which was out of the way of the miners. Naruto watched the white-haired man traveled across the small stone bridge and into the cave, which was guarded by two more of those black suited grunts. The boy can only smile.

"_Only two. That's good, as long as I don't make a large sound."_ Naruto thought, as he looked at Chimchar, who had the same smile. Bellsprout was the only one confused, since both Naruto and Bellsprout did not share the same mentality. _"Time to check out on who these special guests are."_

**.o0o.**

"_You seriously think you would win against me?"_

_One trainer said that when I lost. Tears stung my eyes when I saw my fallen Rattata in the ground. But it wasn't my fault! I swear! He said that I just need strong Pokemon! That's all!_

"_Wow you're Pokemon are weak! Did you really train them?"_

_Train them? I did not need training! I just needed stronger Pokemon! These ones were too weak! I did not do anything wrong!_

…

"_Your Pokemon are weak, and a FOOL like you should feel ashamed."_

…

_Yes… My Pokemon are weak! Losing isn't going to bring me down! I'll find a strong Pokemon and my foes will FINALLY go down!_

…

"_Stop! Please! Don't hurt my dear Pidgey!"_

_YES! I FINALLY WON!_

"_Wait! You've won already! Please stop hurting him!"_

_Take that! Suck it! I win! I win! And I'll keep winning!_

"_AAAUUGGHH! MY DEAR JIGGLYPUFF!"_

_Ahahahahaha! Winning feels grea-!_

…

_Huh? _

_W-What's this feeling? This… this isn't satisfaction… this isn't joy… It feels… hollow…_

"_Is that what you are aiming for?"_

_Wait what? No! I don't want to feel hollow! _

_B-But I need strong Pokemon! I need to catch them in order to win!_

"_You're a fool, D-."_

_What?! I'm no fool! My mindset is foolproof! I'm-!_

"_Fool, D-an."_

_NO! I'm no one's fool! NO ONE'S!_

"_Fool, D-m-an."_

_N-No… He… He said that… the only way to win… was to have strong Pokemon… I didn't know what to do…"_

"_Fool, Damian."_

… _What am I supposed to do? I want to be strong… But what… I had no one to help… No one to guide me… WHAT SHOULD I DO?!_

"_Strength alone will never win your battles."_

_Strength… alone…? Not just my Pokemon…?_

"…_alone… never win…"_

_Me and my Pokemon… But wait…! Fearow was taken away from me… What now…? I'm confused to where to begin now… Who should I go for?_

"…_I shouldn't be surprised."_

**.o0o.**

"…and that's how I came here." Damian finished his tale. **(7)** The girl with a pink haori and two buns on her hair looked surprised at what she heard, speechless at the tale of his Pokemon journey. When she first met him, Tenten had the impression that this guy was just a stuck-up meathead. But after he broke down after having his only Pokeball taken away, he looks so damn frail now.

"I didn't think you would have a rough start with your journey. I thought you were a jerk when we first met, but now… I don't know what to think." Tenten expressed her thoughts with a worried expression, fearing that the preteen in front of her wouldn't begin to go Zubatshit insane. She scratched her temple, trying to see what she is feeling right now in front of the tattered boy. Damian looked worse for wear compared to her.

Tenten only had dirt patches on her haori and her skin had a tiny cut on her wrist. Other than that, she was fine. Damian however looked like he was beaten up. His blue hair is a mess, with his sunglasses broken. His pink shirt and black pants had too many dirt patches, bruises and torn places to even count. The vest was torn in half and was unwearable due to the scuffle with those grunts.

"All I feel is guilt. I made all the wrong choices in my Trainer life and now I'm paying for it." Damian gave a sigh, and a small chuckle for his misfortune. "It sucks that a boy named Menma opened my eyes and beating my Fearow. Man… even now, I don't know what to do."

"Yeah, I get lost trying to figure out what I want to d-." Tenten began, but abruptly halted as she caught an important detail. "Wait. Did you say… Menma?"

"Yeah, I said that, Bunbun. Why?" Damian replied, his eyes wide with confusion. Does she know him?

"It's not Bunbun! It's Tenten!" She snapped, but then she adopted a surprised face. "I know him! Black hair, red eyes, badass cloak and a Chimchar that can whip anyone's butt!"

"Yeah, I remember that Chimchar! He whipped my butt! I know that for sure, Bunbun!"

"IT'S TENTEN!" She shouted, about to clobber the boy, until a new presence was made known to the pair.

"Well well… You're making quite the ruckus." Just then, Kabuto appeared from the shadows of the cavern, having a sinister smirk. This made Tenten and Damian shiver, but the blue-haired preteen stood his ground.

"What the hell do you want from me now? You took my Pokemon, my freedom! And now you want my dignity?!" Damian growled at the white-haired man in front of him. Kabuto only gave a chuckle as he slowly walked towards them.

"Oh it's nothing… for Bunbun here at least."

"HEY, IT'S TENTEN!"

"Did I stutter, Bunbun Higurashi?" Kabuto shot back, with a vicious glare and a snake-like smile, which caused Tenten to back away. Damian grew concerned by the glare, and how Tenten shrunk back, so for once in his life, he stood between Tenten and Kabuto.

"What do you want?" Damian asked, his breathing ragged and jumpy. He could not go toe to toe against someone like Kabuto. He saw firsthand his power. He easily destroyed Fearow and stole the Pokeball. Now, he has nothing, but at least Arceus would forgive him if he defended Bunbun from the likes of this slimeball.

"Oh come now, Damian. You should act more polite to your superiors. After all, you graciously donated your Fearow to us. Now you're just completely and utterly… powerless…!" Kabuto politely emphasized the "graciously" part, in order to play and provoke Damian even more, which was working to his favour.

"Shut up you…!"

"Or what? You and what army? Unless you can get through _my_ Pokemon that is!" Kabuto gave a wide evil smile as he took out a Pokeball and released it, revealing a large bi-pedal Pokemon who is gray and stony in colour, with a cream-coloured underbelly. It had two vicious eyes, clawed arms the size of tree trunks, tough legs, a long dinosaur tail, a collar frill on the back of its head and fangs adorning its large mouth. But the most prominent feature of this Pokemon was the large drill on its snout, whirring viciously.

"RHYYYYYYYYY!" Rhydon roared, enough to shake the foundations. Damian, being the center of attention, found himself shaking with fear. Never has he felt such a terrifying presence. His hands and palms sweaty, everything around him blurring due to the roar and dizziness starting to take him.

"Perhaps you would like to reconsider your decision. Our Master of Team Sound would be very... displeased." Kabuto said, smiling triumphantly at Damian's defeated features. However, the white-haired man frowned, as he turned to see Tenten all curled up and crying. Being at his wit's end, Damian stood there, ready to face the beast itself. "Well now, I never thought you would try to stand up for yourself. Either that or you're finally becoming insane! Hahahaha!" Kabuto laughed, as Rhydon smirked as its horn began to spin wildly.

"…_alone…never win…"_

Damian shook his head. He won't let this freak have the satisfaction of seeing him scream in pain. But two shadows, one human and one too tiny to be human, zoom upwards and dashed towards Kabuto and Rhydon at breakneck speeds.

**BOOM!**

The collision resulted in a large explosion, as the attacks connected. The tiny one smashed a yellow-glowing fist **(8)** at the Rhydon, making the Drill Pokemon stumble backwards to the cavern walls, while Kabuto was kneed **(8)** by the human shadow, colliding the white-haired man to the wall. As soon as the dust settled, Damian and Tenten looked to the assailants, and gasped.

"YOU?!" They both gasped at the sight of Menma, who smiled, along with Chimchar.

"Yes. Me."

* * *

**(1) You guys asked for it. I'll deliver... a small portion. The rest is for you to think. But yes, Yahiko, Nagato and Konan are sibling! *cue le gasp***

**(2) Very reminiscent to the Bellsprout that Ash fought and nearly got owned by during his Indigo Plateau faze.**

**(3) Jirobou is someone I don't know very much about, which is almost all the Sound Five members except Tayuya because she's a pairing person. All I know is that he calls people who are lower than him trash, and he does not tolerate swearing (evident to Tayuya's potty mouth, but he did not do anything about it due to her having the powers of nutcracking).**

**(4) Yeah, it's a bit of a Naruhina moment (I love naruhina :3), but she isn't going to notice that Menma is actually Naruto. She also won't set her eyes on Menma, since she is pretty loyal to Naruto. They have a bit of history, but they never actually met, due to Hinata's shyness and Naruto's isolation.**

**(5) I love doing this :3**

**(6) I'm a little vague at this, since I do not know how to explain it. Basically, the ground that Kabuto and Team Sound are standing on is like a toadstool shape. They are on the top, while Naruto and the gang hide near the stem and underneath the head.**

**(7) You know, you guys are incredibly evil to Damian. I ought to give this guy a second chance. I dunno about Sasuke though... I feel like I'm breaking all the fanfiction norms in terms of Naruto and Pokemon for some reason.**

**(8) Chi-enhanced. That's how they were able to knock them aside.**

* * *

**How are you all doing? Irate here with another chapter! I hope I did not take long. This chapter was a doozy to write. Although it was fun, it took me out! At least exams are done! Please read, rate and review, and if you loved this story, then smash that favourite or follow icon! Good night everybody and happy reading!  
**

* * *

**Review Responses:**

**ARSLOTHES: I wonder if it is fitting... I dunno how Korrina would fit, and I have a plan for Cynthia, but she won't appear for a LONG time!**

**withdrawnmadness000: So you love it too eh? I like how you like my ballsy choices! *gives you cookie* Anyway, I'll grant your wish and give you this chapter!**

**Rebmul: Won't be for a while, but thanks for the compliment!**

**suntan140: We'll see about Minato soon. The poll's already there anyway, so thanks for inputting!**

**Guest (All 3 reviews): Yeah, I chose Bellsprout because of that fact! You can tell that I want a girl from the Pokemon series to pair with Naruto! And did you vote that already? And I don't have a water-type planned, but yours sound like a good one!**

**NinjaFang1331: I'm glad that you've reviewed all 4 chapters, my friend! And I'm glad you like the Bellsprout idea!**

**Reaver91 (All 3 reviews): Ehhhh... I'm a little iffy on that version of Kurama. But if you vote now, you might get your wish! And Naru/Misty... hmmm... *contemplating intensifies***

**buterflypuss (All 2 reviews): I already PM'd you about your question.**

**R .D. T: yes**

**gryphonsson: I wonder what you find funny! That way, I can figure out how to make people laugh more!**

**Bloody-Mad: Well, I'm glad you are patient! Here's the next entry!**

**Yifto: Aye! A previous review said the same thing about how I combine Pokemon moves with Naruto moves! I got that inspiration from the mystery as to why there is no "lightning" in any of the Electric moves! XD**


	6. Chapter 5 - Team Sound Part 2

**More Poll Results:**

**Charmander: 23**

**Growlithe: 21**

**Vulpix: 15**

**Magmar: 14**

**Ponyta: 12**

**Flareon: 11**

**My god you guys are truly vying for Charmander. I don't know why but hey, I'm not one to judge. I just want to have the masses tell me what I can pick. Now I have a girl in mind as a traveling buddy. But it is NOT for a pairing. I dunno, but I don't think a pairing might happen for a while. So the girl will probably stick around until the end of Kanto, because I have a lot planned for this fic. I'm doing all the way to Unova, but I'm skipping Kalos for plot purposes. So Naruto/Menma and Chimchar will go through the Kanto, Johto, Hoenn and Sinnoh leagues respectively so far. I hope this drills into your mind.  
**

**However, for this poll... not all is what is seen is true. Perhaps you might get Charmander, the leader of this poll... or the OPPOSITE!**

**Who knows? ;)**

* * *

_This was not the first time that Damian felt truly empty._

"_Well, it seems all of you aren't any match for us after all."_

_Kabuto's smug grin on his face made Damian wince as he was ambushed by those black-suited trainers. His Fearow laid badly hurt on the ground, two Sandslashes pointing their sharp claws at its neck. The black-suited men around him snickered sinisterly, commenting on his poor performance and insulting his techniques and skills as a Trainer. All this made him cringe in embarrassment._

"_Wow, this really is a trainer? I've seen much better from 5 year olds than him."_

"_Is that so? That's so sad, he might just burst into tears! Gahaha!"_

_After his encounter with the cloaked stranger Menma, he really wasn't feeling up to battling. His Fearow became more of a rebel a couple of days ago, ignoring the commands of its blue-haired trainer, and giving an untrusting look. Now with Damian's head filled with shaken and empty resolve from his past losing streaks to battle and win, he was unaware that his chances to become a Champion have dropped to nil. It was another time Damian felt empty._

_Damian's hands gripped in anger and his form still shaking in humiliation. The taunting and snide comments he heard… the emptiness from the past continued to haunt him._

"_Aww is the wittle baby twainer gonna cry?"_

"_Well, he can't move, not if he wants his precious Fearow to die!"_

_The voices continued to taunt him, until something unbelievable leaked…_

_The tiniest of tears stinging Damian's dull black irises._

"_No way, he IS crying! He's just like a baby!"_

_And the entire group laughed. It turned Damian's stomach around just hearing the torment all around him. Fearow, for once, looked with worry and pity, as Damian just looked on the floor, demoralized. Kabuto them snapped his fingers and Jirobou stood up straight, attentive and ready._

"_Jirobou, take him to the back. This one needs a little more… discipline." Kabuto said cryptically, making Jirobou smirk while cracking his knuckles. Damian's eyes widened, his mouth stuttering as he looked up to the large man's figure, before being picked up like a log, ready to be crushed by the woodchipper. "Meanwhile, let's see if we can make his Fearow switch sides. It would be twice as rewarding for Team Sound... Kukuku…" The eyes of Fearow widened from that statement._

_Damian's breathing began to quicken as he raised his head to face Kabuto's Seviper-like smile, easily giving a few of the Team Sound members some tiny chills. They know that he gets like this when he can get a new Pokemon for their leader. Seeing as he was about to be dragged away, his tears began to fall as he outstretched his hand towards the Beak Pokemon. He would be empty again without Fearow._

"_No… No, don't take Fearow… please…!"_

_Seeing signs of Damian truly breaking down in horror desperately definitely was a surprise, especially apparent to the Fearow. Before, the Flying-type couldn't care less that Damian treated it like a tool. But after their humiliating defeat against that black-cloaked human and these Team Sound people, Fearow considered flying the coup. The blue-haired trainer was pretty pathetic now, compared to before the defeat. But it was after the last training session that Damian sounded so defeated. That alone gave a sense of pity to Fearow._

"_Fearow… cmon! Use a __**Steel Wing**__! Anything! Cmon!"_

"…"

"… _Pl… Please…" It could hear Damian's plea…_

"… _Fear…?"_

"_Please… Fearow…" The tears were falling…_

"_?!"_

_This has sparked something inside the shocked Fearow. Can it be pity? Sadness? Love between the trainer and the Pokemon? Something?!__  
_

_Maybe this was why Fearow was hesitating to leave. Something inside definitely stopped Damian and he hasn't got back up yet. Perhaps it was due to the horrendous 'methods' of Damian training and not giving a damn before. Perhaps that humiliating defeat against that Chimchar. Or it could be the words of the black man, calling out on that weedling Bellsprout's treatment. But now, Fearow had one thing to do._

_Rescue its trainer, for he wants one more chance.._

"_FEAR FEEEEAROW!" It cried, with newly-found strength grabbing the attention of all the Sound and Damian. Then, with wings glowing, it used __**Steel Wing**__ to batter away the Sandslashes and nearby grunts._

_Damian was amazed at what he saw. Fearow fighting from its captors… for him. A pathetic crybaby trainer who couldn't even raise Pokemon. The question in his head was… why?_

_Many of the grunts became pissed, seeing as one Pokemon was easily getting to them. So they summoned their Pokemon as well._

"_Get'em Zubat!"_

"_Machop! Break this bird!"_

"_Come out, Koffing!"_

_A group of Pokemon were let out by countless white lights. After their respective cries, they all charged towards the Fearow. However… something within Fearow glowed a bright white._

"_Feeeaar...!" The bird Pokemon growled as it opened its beak, with a tiny white ball, glowing brighter and brighter and getting bigger and bigger._

_Damian, Jirobou and Kabuto widened his eyes. One out of amazement, another out of fear and the last filled with excitement, with a creepy smile on the last one. _

"_What… what the hell is it doing?!" One Sound member cried, clearly confused._

"_Oh shit… that attack! It's a __**Hyper Beam**__!" _**(1)**

"_HUH!? WHEN DID IT LEARN **HYPER BEAM**?!" Another widened its eyes, as large as dinner plates. Jirobou then snapped out of his stupor and about to yell, until-._

_**SMASH!**_

_A giant ferocious Pokemon suddenly jumped upwards and, with its two arms glowing, gave a twin __**Hammer Arm**__ to the Fearow's body. That forced the air and the fully charged __**Hyper Beam**__ to let out away from the crowd, and towards a nearby tunnel, collapsing it. However, before the Fearow could recover, the giant Pokemon Rhydon kept the bird down with one of its massive hands, whirling its drill menacingly. Fearow could not hope to break away, but kept struggling, hoping to fight once more with that strength it just had._

_Damian's hopes were dashed as he was dragged back into the designated cavern by Jirobou, a little winded, but clearly looking smug and unimpressed. Kabuto was calm and clearly enjoying the struggle of that Fearow with a smile rivaling Sevipers._

"_Oh such a shame... and it was a perfect Fearow as well, with quite a nice __**Hyper Beam**__ too!" Kabuto complemented, then turned to Damian struggling to get out of Jirobou's large grip. "Now be a nice boy, and maybe we won't hurt you so badly…"_

_Damian suddenly felt a lot of physical pain on his head, with Fearow's cry being the last thing he has heard._

**.o0o.**

"Yes. Me."

The sight of a badass in one's eyes and a terrifying figure in another's was unexpected. Being the saviour of their butts, however, would just question anyone if they are dreaming or in a different dimension.

Thankfully, this is neither the time nor the place to think about that.

Naruto then grabbed the hands of both Tenten and Damian and ran out of the cave before the Rhydon and Kabuto got up.

"Tsk, I'm losing my touch… first, that damn Fearow, now someone was able to sneak behind me!" Kabuto muttered to himself, as he stood on his own two feet, along with Rhydon, who gave a deafening roar.

Outside, the cave shook as small amounts of rubble began to fall. The room then flooded with grunts, ready to take down the intruder.

"There he is!" One called.

"Our Pokemon may have fainted from before, but there ain't no stopping us! We outnumber you 4 to 1!" Another commented on them outnumbering Naruto, Damian and Tenten.

"Is that so…? Well, guess what! You are outmatched!" Naruto got into battle stance, with Chimchar's arms sparking with electricity.

"CHARGE!" They cried in a disorganized, yet fearsome mob. The "disorganized" factor proved to be a large benefit as Naruto and Chimchar quickly weaved through the mob, littering unconscious, electrified and bruised bodies along the path.

The crashes and wreckage began to shake the room as the ceiling's stalagmites began to shake and crack.

"Bunbun!" He called towards Tenten, who was at first worried about Menma and Chimchar. But at the mention of the nickname, she cried out to the perpetrator.

"It's TENTEN!" She shouted, which proved to be the cause that made the ceiling crack. Immediately, the large rocks began to fall, diving straight towards Tenten and Damian.

"KYAAAAA!" She cried and ducked her head, not ready to feel pain on her body. She was too young to die.

"Look out!" Damian cried as he dove to protect the screaming and panicking girl. The rocks closed in, but instead:

**CRASH!**

"Happiny!" **(2)** A shrill, tiny cry was heard. Damian opened his eyes, confused on what happened and why it was so dark. Instead of pain, he looked up to see a green barrier around them.

"Huh? What the…?" He said no more, while in deep confusion. Tenten however adopted a surprised face as she grabbed what looked like a pink Pokemon with a bonnet on its head. It had a pink body and a red bottom with a white outline. In its stubby hands was a white egg-shaped rock. Its face had rosy cheeks and black button eyes, which was enough to make any lady squeal.

"Happi Happi Happiny!" It cried happily, as it threw its arms up in a cheering sense. Tenten nearly welled up in tears as she hugged the baby Pokemon tightly.

"Oh Happiny! I'm so glad! You saved us with that **Protect**!" She quietly cried as she savoured the warmth of the Pokemon. Damian looked with surprise, and it warmed his heart too, seeing such a bond.

'_Fearow would have done it to me… I gotta do the same thing! It's counting on me!'_ Damian thought with determination, ready to move on, as Menma is nearly finished.

**BOOM!**

The deafening sound of a rock wall getting pulverized was evident. The few remaining grunts nearly wet themselves, but had cocky smirks on their faces when they saw Kabuto's Rhydon.

"You two! Move away!" Menma cried, as all four of them ran towards the opposite end of the cave.

"Kabuto-sama! Help us please!" One of Team Sound's grunts pleaded, with tears flowing from the almighty strength of the Rhydon. The Drill Pokemon just passed by them uninterested, with Kabuto walking nonchalantly, with a smile plastered on his face.

"Well now! I think it's time I dealt with the pests right here and now…" He said, Rhydon's drill revving up to emphasized this.

"Damian." Naruto simply said, catching Damian's attention from preventing himself from pissing in front of the Rhydon. "Don't worry. I'll take care of him." The black-haired boy smiled as he took out a Pokeball and out came Bellsprout. "Go with Bunbun here and free all the trainers and Pokemon here, Bellsprout!" He commanded, getting a salute from the Flower Pokemon before hopping on Tenten's shoulder.

"It's Tenten! How many times do I keep telling you?!" She exasperatedly complained, but a simple wave and Bellsprout ready to fire **Energy Balls** on her shoulder told Tenten to do what she was asked. Damian stared at Menma for a second, then at Bellsprout hanging on the girl's shoulders.

"Is that really-?" Damian began, but was shooed off by Menma.

"Go!"

And with that, Damian ran off to help.

"Aww, would you look at that? Sparing them the sight on seeing you fall on your knees?" Kabuto snidely asked, taunting the black-haired fighter. If he was purely Naruto beforehand, he would have fallen for the taunt, but now he was Menma. Someone completely calm and different.

"Really. The same would go for you, you white-haired freak. You really want your grunts watching you lose?" Menma commented, smirking as Kabuto lost the grin.

"I can see that you're eager to lose! Rhydon! Jump up and use Double **Hammer Arms**!" Kabuto commanded, having the Rhydon jump deceptively high and dove downwards with two arms glowing orange.

"Not gonna happen! First gate open!" Naruto cried, with Chimchar pumping its muscles. Both of its fists glowed white.

''_First gate open?' Interesting… I wonder why that Chimchar isn't using Fire moves…'_ Kabuto thought, with his attention on Chimchar's lack of a tail. The Chimp then jumped up, both of its fists gaining trails with two heads of glowing Dragonites.

"**Twin Dragonite Fists**!" The move was called, as both of them collided, causing a large and bright explosion.

**.o0o.**

The ground shook, something that made Tenten and Damian stop what they were doing.

"Was that… from Menma?" Tenten muttered, something that was heard by her about-to-be-free prisoner.

"What? Menma?! Where is he?!" Sasuke demanded as he was being freed from the handcuffs with Happiny's ultimate strength, enough to break apart steel. Charmander also made a tantrum. However, when no one was listening to it, it just went and helped people break through their handcuffed bonds with **Metal Claw**.

"If logic dictates the situation, I'm guessing he's having a run-in with the boss, while you free us." Shino replied, free from his bonds. Kakuna was silent while Caterpie clinged on Shino's shoulder worryingly.

"Huh?! How did you know?" Damian raised an eyebrow, stunned that the glasses boy figured it out so quickly.

"Like I said. As logic dictates." Shino's glasses mysteriously shined a little, prompting Damian to not ask questions anymore.

"I'm scared of that white-haired freak, but… if Sasuke-kun thinks he can do it, then he will win!" Sakura cheered, albeit a little shakily. She was still a little scared and exasperated from mining in this shaft, but now she can smell freedom. However, her deluded mindset for this Sasuke dickhead made Damian's fist scrunch up.

"Don't mind her, Damian." Shino simply said, with Damian leaving it at that. "My name is Shino Aburame, by the way."

"Oh really? I'm-. Hey! How did you know me?!" Damian asked, dumbfounded.

"In a mining shaft, word tends to spread. I heard you 'cried for Mommy' as you were beaten by their 'glorious leader' out of one attack. Also, your Fearow had to come save you as you 'cried even harder', while 'sucking your thumb' and 'curling in a fetal position'." Shino explained, a little amused that Team Sound painted this picture of a preteen so crudely.

"What?! I…" Damian paused for five seconds before speaking again. "I wasn't THAT bad right?"

"So it's true?"

"NO! I-, they-. Hmmph forget it…" Damian gave up as he finished untying the ropes of the blue-haired girl.

"T-Thank you…" She mumbled. Damian got up, as did Hinata. Her Clefairy bounced up and down cheerfully, happy that its trainer was free by this human. Her Ralts was smiling as well, but was behind Hinata's leg a little shy due to Damian's tall figure.

Damian hoped that he could finish freeing the rest of the trainers here. "No problem. Now where are the others?"

**.o0o.**

The dust cleared from the bright explosion, with both opponents seeing only one shadow in the shape of a large Pokemon. Kabuto smirked, assuming that Rhydon was able to pulverize the Chimchar by the looks of it, since Rhydon was still standing and hunched over, and there was no sign of Chimchar. It was likely buried underneath

"Hmph…! It seems you weren't able to win after all. That poor Chimchar, crushed to death." Kabuto smiled in a cocky way, assuring his victory, but Menma just smirked, which unnerved Kabuto a little. Suddenly, a groan was heard from Rhydon, still in its hunched position.

"You really think so? You really are cocky, teme!" Menma shot back. Kabuto widened his eyes, but he didn't know why. He saw Rhydon's arms twitching madly, and slowly, the Drill Pokemon was being pushed up. Then it hit Kabuto.

'_Impossible…! Rhydon isn't twitching! It's struggling!'_ He yelled in his mind as he saw underneath both of Rhydon's hands was Chimchar, holding the arms upwards in place. The Chimp was dirty and a little bruised, but it was okay. However, the look on its eyes, the growling and the panting signified pure determination to win.

"Throw him off! Then give Rhydon a **Focus One-Two**!" **(3)** Menma commanded. Chimchar, with unbelievable strength in Kabuto's eyes, bent over and threw off Rhydon's hands and also the Drill Pokemon's balance. Then, with unbelievable speed, sped towards Rhydon's chin in a blink of an eye and gave a nasty **Focus Punch **uppercut.

"This… this is absurd!" Kabuto read his thoughts aloud, his eyes widening and dilating, due to the sheer amount of power that wasn't supposed to be inside a basic Pokemon like Chimchar. But the Chimp wasn't done. After the earth-shattering **Focus Punch**, all its muscular power and chi was channeled into Chimchar's second fist, powered up into another **Focus Punch**. It was more devastating than the last and it landed on the very snout of the Pokemon, just underneath the drill.

"RHYYYYYY!" The Rhydon cried out painfully, also baffled by the power behind this tiny little creature. It crashed into the ground, but got right back up. It may have been caught off guard by the power this Chimp possessed, but Rhydon roared, ready for anything now.

Kabuto lost his feelings of shock and smiled creepily. Enough to make Menma ready his guard. "Kukuku… it seems you would make a _fine_ test subject for my Master, boy. You may have surprised us with your combined power, but you're still an abrupt upstart!" The glasses man smiled menacingly, almost as if he was signalling that the gloves were off.

"Who is your master anyway?" Naruto asked, hoping to at least know what's going on.

"Oh you don't need to know. All I can say that he wishes to have the perfect Pokemon!" Kabuto answered ecstatically, almost as if his screws were loose. Chimchar smirked, ready for a tough fight, although his muscles were a little sore. Menma, however, was a little uneasy.

"Be careful, Chimchar. I don't like the looks of this guy…" Naruto advised, causing the not-Fire type to tighten its fists again and lose the smirk, to show that it will take his advice.

"Now! Rhydon! **Rock Slide!**" Kabuto commanded, with the Rhydon roaring. It glowed an unearthly power which commanded the Rocks to launch towards Chimchar, ready to dodge.

"Dodge them with **Acrobatics**, Chimchar!" Naruto commanded, causing Chimchar to jump from rock to rock with incredible flexibility. After jumping numerous times, it was close to Rhydon. It prompted the Chimp to power a **Focus Punch**!

"Not this time! Grab it!" Kabuto hissed, which caused Menma to be on guard. Rhydon quickly outstretched its arm and opened its palm in the direction of Chimchar's trajectory. The **Focus Punch** crashed, but it proved no use as the Rhydon did not feel anything. The palm then scrunched on Chimchar's arm, easily creating an inescapable grip. "Got you! Quickly, **Horn Drill**!"

When Kabuto commanded that, Chimchar's eyes widened along with Menma's.

'_A one-hit kill move! Dammit! What now?!'_ Menma's thoughts were racing as Chimchar struggled to pull out, but to no avail. The Rhydon's drill whirled so fast, it could possibly drill through diamonds. Menma tried to figure out a strategy and raced through his thoughts until Gai's words rang in his head.

**.o0o.**

"_The environment looks great, doesn't it?"_

"_Yeah… it's beautiful. I've seen sunsets before I ended up here three months ago, but this one takes the cake!"_

"_That's right. The sunset's flames may burn out for a while, but that doesn't mean ours will! Our flames of youth burn strongly!"_

"_You've been saying that too much, Gai-sensei…"_

"_It's true, Naruto! You have a spirit that will never die out…!"_

"_Just like the sunset?"_

"_Not just the sunset! The many aspects of nature are within us too! We use them to fulfill our tasks, no matter how impossible! As long as you believe in and use both environment and your flames of youth, then you will always get back up when you fall!"_

"_Believe? Use?"_

"_When you use the powers inside of us, we can turn the tides in battle! When you use the powers of nature around us, like eating the apples trees provide us, or using trees as cover away from your foes! Or perhaps using the dust and rocks around us to blind and distract the opponent, we can utilize it for everything…!"_

_**-bzzt-**_

"—_using the dust and rocks around us to blind and distract the opponent—"  
_**(4)**

**.o0o.**

The words played inside Menma's head, then he looked up. The stalagmites are just about to fall, and right above Rhydon's head. The black-haired boy smirked, ready to initiate the plan.

"Chimchar! Quickly! **Thunderpunch Current** on the stalagmites on top of you!" The boy commanded desperately, which Chimchar quickly complied to. Electricity gathered around its hand and shot upwards, blasting the rocks up ahead and causing them to shake and fall. Rhydon stopped its advance and looked up, reacting to the falling heap of rocks by using its other arm to shield itself.

'_This Chimchar… and that boy… Show me. What other surprises do you have…?'_ Kabuto smirked, when Chimchar used a **Focus Punch **on the distracted Rhydon's hand to bust itself out. He watched in excitement, drooling over the fact that he wasn't facing a normal, novice trainer. _'If we found him earlier, our master would have loved this boy…!'_

**.o0o.**

"SASUKE-KUN!" One platinum blonde girl cried as she dove right towards the raven boy when he appeared. Her arms outstretched and freed with the help of Bellsprout's **Razor Leaf**. The rest of the gang along with Sasuke appeared to the rest of the captives, also freed by Bellsprout.

"GET OFF HIM, INO-PIG!"

"MAKE ME, FOREHEAD!"

"Sheesh, they still don't stop yapping…" Shikamaru rubbed his ears, sore from all the complaining, which earned yet another glare. Although he would prefer Ino rather than Sakura. While Ino does whine, she doesn't screech it out like Sakura.

"Shika, I'm seriously considering roasting you on a spit now!" She snarled comically, with Chouji drooling over some lunch right now. Shikamaru wasn't the least bit affected by Ino's glare due to being used to it all the time, so he just shrugged.

"You glared at me so many times, it's not even troublesome anymore."

"Oh yeah? I've lost count on how many times you said 'troublesome', Shikamaru!"

"We don't have time to fight over that now!" Neji snapped at both of them, making them flinch under his gaze. Damian looked at them with a raised eyebrow, but he also agreed.

"I agree. We don't have time to spare. We have to go help Menma!" Damian informed, catching the attention of the rest of the group, save Bellsprout.

"Menma? You mean the guy with the black hair and that powerful Chimchar? I remember him!" Kiba said, remembering the time he kicked Neji's Ralts's ass with super speed and super strength. Kiba and Akamaru still don't know what they eat to become strong.

"Hmph… That time was a lucky battle. Fate has decreed me its winner in the coming matc-!"

"We get it… I lost count on how many times you said that! Sheesh… Anyway, we gotta rescue the dude!" Kiba followed with the agreement. Akamaru barked in reply. Damian nodded and began to run back towards where Menma was. However, before he rush out of the general area…

"NOT SO FAST, TRASH!"

A rock landed just in front of the preteen, much to his horror and shock. In front of him was an angry Jirobou, with a Graveler.

"You think I'll let you get away? You were beaten once! I'll squash you again!" The orange-haired man cried out, with Damian adopting a frightened face. But before either of them could act, one Pokemon stood between them. One that Damian recognizes.

"Bellsprout?" He muttered under his breath, seeing the Pokemon he so rightfully bullied into submission. It may have felt good before, but now… guilt and heart-wrenching fear took over as he placed his hand over his chest.

"Bell!" It cried out happily as the Pokemon looked at its former assailant with a cheerful face. By the looks of it, Bellsprout had no qualms from before, when Damian was his normal arrogant selfish self. Also, the Pokemon looked much stronger and confident than before when they first met.

'_Menma trained it hard, and it looks like it could take on anything… I… I believe in you, Bellsprout!'_ Damian said in his thoughts with confidence in his beliefs that Bellsprout can pave a way. **(5)**

Just as fast as it looked at Damian with a happy face, the Flower Pokemon turned back to its opponent, ready for a fight.

The rest of the captive trainers ran up to where Damian and Bellsprout was. They shrunk a little, not just because of the large man and the tough rock Pokemon in front, but who was facing it.

"A Bellsprout?" Sakura questioned. Even if it is a type advantage, the Graveler looks quite impenetrable.

"It's the best chance we got, Pinkie. Besides, it's Menma's Bellsprout anyway." Damian replied, total seriousness and confidence in his voice. Sakura was about to retort from the 'Pinkie' name she acquired, but Damian kept talking. "Besides, Grass types beats a Rock and Ground type like Graveler. I don't think the black-haired kid can take on a Graveler with a Fire-type."

"Eh?! You're wrong! Sasuke-ku-!"

"Sakura, shut up!" Sasuke barked, causing Sakura to wince a little. He would not admit it, but against a type advantage like this, he would lose indefinitely. Lately his Charmander is not getting strong enough to evolve yet. Even though he was pretty sure he had his Pokemon at a high level through hours of training, it still wouldn't evolve yet.

"But…"

"Trust me… Bellsprout'll win." Damian ensured with finality. And with that, both Pokemon charged.

**.o0o.**

The battle was going on for far too long. After countless swipes and getting potshots in, Chimchar is getting tired from countless **Acrobatics** and **Focus Punches**. The muscles began to ache a lot, and now the Chimp was on its last legs. Naruto began to sweat and grit his teeth, now that they are on the losing side.

'_Cmon… Damian's taking way too long! Where the hell is he?!'_ Menma was racing through his thoughts on how to get out of this situation. The Rhydon did not look so bad. It had a nasty bruise on the chin and scraps here and there, but overall, it was fine enough. Never in its life was it pushed this far in a battle against a pipsqueak like this one here. Kabuto had a sickening smile, signifying that Kabuto has it in the bag. It may not be right now, but it should be soon.

"It seems your friends ditched you. Don't think they'll come back!" Kabuto stated. Even if it was the highest possibility of it happening, Naruto shook his head. Damian looked like he changed, and Bellsprout should be able to convince him if he thinks otherwise. He believed they'll come back. Naruto clenched his hand.

"They'll come. I know it!" Naruto retorted.

"Really? I don't think so, for a trainer who owns a Chimchar who can't breathe fire!" Kabuto mocked, which shocked Chimchar and Naruto. However, Naruto put up a brave front, covering his shock.

"Oh yeah? What does it matter?! We still have our fighting spirits! Right, Chimchar?" Naruto rebuked. It was true. They didn't need a fire move against a Rock-type titan like Rhydon. Chimchar snapped out of its stupor and nodded. Rhydon can only laugh… like how a Rhydon should laugh, which echoed the cave. Kabuto smirked a little.

"So there really is no fire on the back of its tail? Or do you know how to close it up yourself, Chimchar?" Kabuto asked nonchalantly, which was getting on the Chimp's nerves. Why was the Kabuto sizing it up? His eyes had the emotion of… nostalgia? Pleasure? Chimchar can't tell, but it braced itself as Rhydon revved up its drill again.

Rhydon charged ahead, readying a **Hammer Arm** on the Chimchar. The Chimp jumped away as the arms landed, creating an explosion of debris. Chimchar then came ready on Rhydon's side, launching a **Focus Punch**. Rhydon winced, but wasn't flinching at the slightest.

"You really think that trick will work again? Use **Iron Tail**!" Through the smoke cloud, a glowing Rhydon tail sliced through the cloud like butter and slammed into Chimchar. It launched the Chimp towards the wall, easily cracking it. Naruto gritted his teeth as he watched Chimchar slump down after trying to get up from that nasty **Iron Tail**.

"Hehehehe… It seems like the end of the road for you, trainer." Kabuto snidely commented, making Naruto bristle a little. Chimchar gripped its bandaged hand and snarled as it slowly got up. The Pokemon was covered in dirt and bruises. "But you continue to surprise me. Perhaps the Chimchar could come with me, and with the proper… _re-education_, Team Sound will rise to glory! But for now, we finish it!" He smiled evilly, as Rhydon stood up straight and opened its mouth. Inside was a glowing ball of orange energy, which made Naruto widen his eyes with fear. But before he could comprehend, a green glow appeared behind the Rhydon, which Naruto gave a smirk to.

'_Finally…! Looks like they finally came!'_ He thought, then spotted Chimchar giving him a smirk. _'Good, he knows. Time to end this.'_ Menma called out one last command to Chimchar.

"We won't give up! Chimchar!" Naruto called, giving enough morale for Chimchar to stand up straight with newfound energy. "Second gate open!"

Chimchar, with a glint in its eye, burst with energy as its muscles bulged and relaxed. The strain and soreness from opening the First Gate was gone. Now pumping as much chi has it could possibly can, it unwrapped one of its bandages and fired one towards Rhydon's arm. When it stuck, Chimchar pulled itself toward Rhydon, who had finished charging the Hyper Beam. However, before the Rhydon can fire, a great pain, larger than any other attacks that Chimchar landed on this battle, exploded on its back, distracting said Drill Pokemon and faltered. It was the perfect chance for the grinning Chimchar to finally finish it.

**.o0o.**

Rocks and leaves were on the ground from the attacks that two opposing Pokemon used. Bellsprout was looking alright, with no visible wound or bruise. It may have taken a potshot, but nothing too serious due to the speed training that Menma gave. Graveler however was on its last legs with panting and wobbling on the legs as its sign, since it has a very bad type disadvantage. A wide-eyed Damian was obviously stunned that a Bellsprout was able to take on a tough experienced Graveler.

'_Wow… what's his secret?'_ Many of the other trainers thought, as they saw the Bellsprout's acrobatic moves and **Vine Whip Kicks** that it performed, like a master kickboxer. Sasuke especially was gaping like a fish from the moves it has shown. How was it so fast and strong?

Jirobou was in a pickle. The orange-haired man thought he could take down a Bellsprout despite the type advantage, but it seems he was wrong. Now he will pay the price. "Damn trash…!" Jirobou snarled, his glare on full glance, but it was futile, since Bellsprout and Damian knew it was an empty threat. "Graveler, don't just stand there! Jump up and use **Double Edge**!" Jirobou commanded, with Graveler obeying. The Rock Pokemon jumped up and glowed white before charging downwards to Bellsprout who was in the middle of preparing for its most powerful attack that Menma taught him. It looked like a miniature white comet about to land on the surface.

"Shikamaru, what's he doing?" Ino asked, a little worried that Bellsprout is in a starting position in a hundred meter dash. Then it began to dash and do cartwheels.

"Don't look at me, this battle is getting troublesome by the minute…" Shikamaru drawled out, before catching a glimpse of the glowing vines on Bellsprout's body.

"Look! Those vines on Bellsprout!" Hinata cried out, catching everyone's attention as the Flower Pokemon jumped into the air, around the same level as the comet look-a-like Graveler. If one caught a glimpse on the leg vines, they were wrapped around each other in a corkscrew and was about to slam into Graveler.

"BEELLLLLLL-!"

_**SLAM!**_

"SPROUT!"

"GRAAAAA!"

A cry of determination was followed by a cry of pain, as the Graveler took the full brunt of the secret move Bellsprout performed. Everyone was gaping on how that mystery move could overpower a **Double Edge**, one of the more powerful Normal-type moves. The Graveler was then launched towards Jirobou who was still wide-eyed in shock and horror, that he was already unconscious before he was fired towards the wall by a fainted Graveler.

A couple seconds of silence was broken when Bellsprout cheered and ran ahead, looking a-okay. Everyone else was stunned by the performance, as they were the first witnesses other than Chimchar and Menma of Bellsprout's first secret move: the **Corkscrew Vine Slam**. **(6)**

Damian shook his head and ran ahead, following Bellsprout out of the complex of mined tunnels. But before that, he saw a Pokeball that looked familiar. It had a nick on the red and it was a little dirty. Something he recognized.

'_Fearow!'_ He thought. He opened the Pokeball, and in a flash of light, came Fearow, still hurt from its last encounter and sleeping for now due to the light snoring. A sigh of relief came with overwhelming guilt from before. But now wasn't the time for dilly-dallying. He returned the Fearow and ran off, following Bellsprout's trail.

Hinata and Shikamaru followed, then the rest of the trainers. They will ask their questions later. All they have to do now is meet up with Menma and escape this place.

Bellsprout ran as fast as it could. The Flower Pokemon's legs were aching a little, but for now, it could run back to its master. He could hear the footsteps of Damian from behind. While Bellsprout doesn't hate Damian (the Flower Pokemon thought it was just a phase in his life), it was still a little scared. Only seeing Master Menma again could help that fear. Soon, they spotted a familiar area with familiar trainers and Pokemon ahead.

"Hehehehe… It seems like the end of the road for you, trainer."

The white-haired man taunted, which made Bellsprout twitch. It could also see Chimchar down on a slump, in pain with Menma on the ropes with the battle. It had to do something. So it did the only thing it knew how to help.

Fire a fully-powered **Energy Ball**.

The green glow it emitted caught Menma's and Chimchar's attention, which they smirked.

"We won't give up! Chimchar! Second gate open!"

A burst of energy flooded the Chimchar, at the same time Bellsprout fired the fully-charged **Energy Ball**. The explosion connected on Rhydon's back, giving the Drill Pokemon serious super-effective damage, and made it falter on its charge on its **Hyper Beam**, which disappeared. Kabuto's eyes widened, then snapped his head behind him to see Bellsprout and the captives he captured before.

"What…?! You-!" Kabuto snarled at the cheering trainers and Pokemon, before snapping himself back to the fight, one where he was about to lose.

It was enough for Chimchar, for when it reached towards Rhydon's face, it performed repeated spinning kicks. They were so powerful and so fast that Rhydon was lifted off the ground. Granted, it didn't go that far, which was around a meter. But a feat for Chimchar against a Rhydon was almost entirely impressive.

"GO, CHIMCHAR!" Menma cried out, seeing a thin tornado of blue chi wrapped around the kicking Chimchar. At the very end of the series of kicks, Chimchar wound himself up for one last powerful kick. "**SECONDARY LOTUS!**" **(7)**

The attack was devastating, with a forceful explosion at the end, ending with Rhydon landing on its back with swirls on its eyes, signifying its defeat.

"WOO! Alright Chimchar! Alright Bellsprout!" Naruto cried out, hugging a tired Chimchar and a happy Bellsprout, like a family. Damian smiled at the scene as he and the others rejoined the black-haired boy. Seeing as the others were watching him, with some smiling, others confused and one of them seething, Menma scratched his head sheepishly as he let go of his Pokemon. "Ehehehe… hey."

"No no. Keep going." Damian teased, getting a laugh from Menma, before looking at Kabuto. Suddenly, he was completely unnerved by his expression. So was Menma, and both of them were on guard.

Kabuto was smiling. It was one creepy and unsettling smile. It was one that resembled someone who has found something they were looking for, for who knows how long. As Kabuto returned the Rhydon, he shot upwards to show his smile face forward, which creeped out everybody.

"You… Your name is... Menma, right?" He began. "Fufufu…. Hehehehehe…! So… it really_ is_ you…" He ominously said, somehow directing it to Chimchar, who was on Menma's shoulder and was greatly disturbed by the look it was giving.

"What are you saying, teme…?" Menma asked, almost ridiculing the idea of Kabuto and his "Master" meeting Chimchar at one point. He clenched his fists. If they had anything to do with him before, he will break them.

"Oh it's nothing. For now, I shall retreat. Good day." He politely bowed his head and casually walked towards the tunnel that Jirobou was in. Once he was out of sight however, he pulled out a walkie-talkie and turned it on.

"Captain Kabuto, sssstatus report…" A voice with a serious hiss behind it answered.

"Yes, Orochimaru-sama. A boy with powerful Pokemon was able to sabotage our undercover mining mission. We have not lost any men, but we have no sign of the legendary Moon Stone." Kabuto replied nonchalantly, yet professionally. A hiss was heard from behind the walkie-talkie, but Kabuto was not finished. "However, while this may be a detriment, we may have found silver lining within that failure."

"Oh? And what will that be?" The voice said, filled with a bit of humour before Kabuto dropped the bomb.

"Our previous failed experiment has been a success all this time." **(8)**

* * *

**(1) For some reason, anyone can learn Hyper Beam these days. It may be a strong move, but I don't see practical uses for it. Maybe the people believe in one-shot kills. But man, do people spam it these days...  
**

**(2) Happiny is there because Tenten wants to be a nurse, and what better way to become one than to get a Chansey of her own. :P**

**(3) Original move. I got it from the Mega Babies cartoon (haven't watched that in ages). It's a simple aerial uppercut then powerful hook on the face.**

**(4) Pretend that the flashback is done on a VCR tape, where the -bzzt- is like a second of static before rerunning the scene again. It's a flashback material.**

**(5) I know that I'm a little quick on the Damian redeemed kinda thing. But just to spoil it now, he won't be a permanent trainer buddy that Naruto will walk with. If you guys know of any other method of playing this out, tell me and I'll think about it.**

**(6) Original move. Bellsprout does cartwheels to gain momentum and when it jumps, it ties both of its leg vines together and slams on the opponent in a downward strike. By the way, Bellsprout's moveset is Energy Ball, Vine Whip, Power Whip and Double Team.**

**(7) Original move, that stems from the Second Gate (Primary Lotus belongs to First Gate, get it?). It is very VERY similar to Rock Lee's Leafs Hot Wind in Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm Full Burst 3. Instead of Red chakra, it's Blue chi.**

**(8) FORESHADOWING!**

* * *

**Wow, I'm being very very quick with this update. Much quicker than usual. Hey guys, it's Irate here! I'm glad I was able to pull this one out. I wasn't too proud on my last chapter generating less reception than the chapter before that, but I hope this will satisfy your cravings!  
**

* * *

**Review Responses:  
**

**withdrawnmadness000: huehuehuehuehue. A-Anyway, I know your suggestion for Korrina and Cynthia are good, but they are the reason why I don't want to choose a pairing yet. You said this, but it will be hard to implement one of them into the story if I don't want to simply "shoehorn them in" like saving them from a bunch of Rattatas or bump into each other in Cerulean. I want to try to make it... interesting quote en quote. Don't worry, Naruto will have someone who loves and and he will love them back... eventually. I'm planning to add another female Pokemon protagonist in Cerulean who will be a traveling buddy, but not a pairing. And yes, I am pretty sure you know who it is. Since I wanna make this fanfic span from Kanto to Unova, yes the Konoha 10(?) and Menma will grow up. Possibly around until like 14-ish or something. And yes, I will mix in both Pokemon and Naruto, so you'll see newer gen characters later. I'm glad you like me having Damian become a not-dick, and yes. Soon he and Bunbun will make sweet lo- I mean romance. huehuehuehuehue**

**TheWhiteTitan: Hmmm... If you read the response above, then you will know that I can't choose a pairing yet. This is why. There are so many good options, that I just can't choose... plus I have to implement them well. Not just "shoehorned in".**

**NinjaFang1331: Thanks for both complements on Team Sound and the unexpected pairing. It will develop soon, I promise.**

**Guest: I'm pretty sure I answered your question in the above responses and intro. Also, I don't want to break consistency with region-exclusive Pokemon. Kanto Pokemon (and maybe some Johto Pokemon) will appear here. Pairing related question: it can't be "shoehorned in", so I have to find a way around this. There IS a reason why I write my stories very very slowly (even if this did come very fast).**

**GatoGremory: yes**

**suntan140: You would like, but something you cannot get. I said this already, pairings won't happen yet, for they might be shoehorned in. I have to find a really really good way to figure it out.**

_**NOTE:**_ **Let me tell you something. Would you like a story that shoves a random Pokemon girl in with Naruto? Or would you like to find a unique situation for both of them to be in? I know you guys want me to ready a good pairing, but right now this isn't about love. This is about adventure. Tell me in the reviews.**

**buterflypuss: You're quite the gentleman, aren't you? Because you called me a "chap". :3 Why, it is a fine chap, I say so myself!**

**Guest (again): Mega Evolutions won't come until Hoenn. I have a plan for them already, so don't worry. Although the Pokemon in question is a mystery for now. Megas are kinda cheap these days... finding them is like finding pennies on the floor, and finding real Mega Accessories is as common as finding them in a dollar store. Also, why the fear of ghosts? It could work... hmm if I tinker around with this... then it can make me MILLIONS... of views. You may just have an idea there.**


	7. Chapter 6 - Interlude in Blue

**NEW CHAPTER! I'M REPLACING THIS WITH THE UPDATE MESSAGE, BUT PRECEDING THIS WILL BE THE UPDATE MESSAGE SAYING THAT THIS CHAPTER WILL BE UPLOADED. IT MAKES IT EASIER ON OURSELVES.**

**REMEMBER TO VOTE ON THE POLL. VOTE FOR YOUR FAVOURITE FIRE TYPE TO APPEAR ON THIS FANFIC. HOWEVER, THE POKEMON WITH THE ****_LEAST_**** VOTES WILL WIN! IT MAKES IT MORE INTERESTING THIS WAY!**

* * *

_"Is it… is it time, Gai-sensei?"_

_A lone red-contact-eyed boy with hair dyed black was staring back at his sensei with a downtrodden expression and teary eyes. Up in front of him was a bowl-cut man with green spandex, also a little teary-eyed._

_"Yes… Naruto. It's time for you to start your journey."_

_Gai sniffed, but kept his stern composure. He was not usually like this serious when the bowl-cut man was sad. He was either always eccentric, stern, downright enthusiastic, balling with tears flowing like waterfalls or insulted by others due to his hair. One guy managed to go on a rant on how ridiculous he looked and acted in a nearby town, but the guy's eyeballs nearly burned away from the sight of Gai hugging the life out of Naruto. For some reason, Naruto felt a burning sensation behind him, like a beach sun beaming down._

_No one else questioned Gai's ways to life ever again. The man was oddly never seen again._

_"You remember how your journey will go right? What your goal is, right?" Gai asked, reminding Naruto like a father._

_"Yes, Gai-sensei." Naruto nodded, with Chimchar beside his leg, nodding too. "I must win all eight badges and beat the Pokemon League in the Indigo Plateau. That is my goal." The boy explained, in a polite, but stoic manner._

_"Yes, but…" Gai began, looking at Naruto, anticipating more than just that. As Naruto grew up with Maito Gai, he figured out that Naruto was a complicated person. To some people who he knows or who he, he was very cheery and enthusiastic, willing to go for the extra mile. To others who aren't really good with anything related to Pokemon or good morality to humans in general, Naruto would try to make them see that Pokemon are good creatures and not to be used by them. "Is that your __**only**__ goal?"_

_Naruto widened his eyes for a moment, almost a little stunned, but closed his eyes and shook his head._

_"No." He simply replied._

_"Then let's do this again." Gai stood up straighter than before. "What is your __**true**__ goal, Naruto Uzumaki?"_

_All in all, he believed that Naruto always can see the good in some of the horrible people he will meet. That is what he worries though, is that he leaves himself wide open for the recurring Team Sound, an organization that kidnaps Pokemon for their own nefarious deeds._

_Naruto was silent for a minute, trying to think and contemplate on the goal he wants. That told Gai that he was thinking hard, so he had to give him a few minutes. Naruto put his head down and thought hard. He couldn't fight for fame and fortune. That isn't part of his character, plus Gai would not tolerate such a greedy goal. Naruto just needs one goal…_

_Something… to fight for… to strive for… Then he glanced at Chimchar… specifically his flame-less tail._

_And then it clicked._

_"I fight… to prove that Chimchar is not a failure!" Naruto stated with finality with his right hand on his chest, causing Gai to smile and nod with approval._

_Chimchar was especially shocked by the vow Naruto made. But something inside Chimchar made it smile. Even if the Chimp only had Naruto and Maito Gai as its only friend, it was still cautious. Maybe that factor is in its nature, or maybe it was due to instinct because of the past. But now, that vow solidified its friendship. Tears welled in Chimchar's eyes as he watched his first ever _best_ friend smile at him. In turn, after Naruto's vow, Chimchar jumped up and grabbed Naruto's left arm, surprising Naruto._

_"Eh? Chimchar?" Naruto asked, confused on what Chimchar's doing. But what happened next surprised the Uzumaki. Chimchar then bent its legs on Naruto's thigh, with his arm as its hold, and sprung up from Naruto's leg towards the top of its head, with Naruto's hand still in Chimchar's possession. At the top of the black-haired boy's head, Chimchar stood up straight and put its other fist on its chest, just like when Naruto stated his goal and vow._

_"Chim! Chim chim char! Char Cha har chim char!" Chimchar stated in a serious tone, with Naruto and Gai watching with wide eyes. One out of shock and adoration, and the other viewed it as an honourable satisfaction._

_"Chimchar…" Naruto said, before he grabbed Chimchar and hugged him. "You… you'll fight for me?" He asked in a teary tone. Back in Konoha Academy, he remembered only one person that rescued him from time to time. It was Professor Sarutobi, and no one else, which made Naruto all the more lonelier. But after meeting Chimchar and hearing that vow, he wouldn't trade him for anybody or anything._

_Chimchar nodded and snuggled on his chest, with Naruto dearly hugging the Pokemon. It was quite a sight to see in the sunrise as both of them were in tears, and it was something Maito Gai was proud of._

_"You two… those goals…" Gai said in awe, then pulled his best 'Gai pose'. "-ARE RADIATING ITS FLAMES OF YOUTH EVERYWHERE!" Then the spandex man suddenly burst into tears. "You two… will become strong one day…! Now go! Time for you to start!" He blubbered._

_"Yeah… Time to start!" Naruto smiled, causing Gai's sobbing to quiet down. "When we go, I won't ever forget you." Naruto calmly brought his hands up and balled his right hand into a fist, while covering the knuckles with the palm of his left hand. He then bowed and showed his respect. "Tou-san." Naruto uncharacteristically, yet respectfully said, his eyes closed and bowed to the bowl-cut man's honour._

_"Chim char." Chimchar muttered the same respectful saying, bowing and using the hand signs that Naruto was using. It was finally time. After years of being taught the power of chi and the Goken under Maito Gai-sensei, Chimchar is finally able to show how to fight and how to win without the use of fire. It only needed one type of fire, and it was inside Chimchar. In its heart, burning strong._

_It felt… strong. Not an arrogant-like strength, but more of a confident fire; kindled but roaring with compassion along with Naruto. As long as these two are together, then they will never give up!_

_Gai's eyes widened by the amount of gratitude both of his students were showing, and with that, he allowed the tears to fall. The man did the only thing he could do to thank both of his students._

_He gave them a hug, and they returned it with vigour._

_After a few long minutes, they let go of themselves, tears falling._

_"Go forth, sochi…! Make your father proud! Don't let your past keep you from making friends!" Gai said, or what Naruto and Chimchar thought he said through the blubbering of tears._

_"Hai!" They both saluted and ran off quicker than a horde of Zebstrika, leaving Gai in the dust. However…_

_"HEY! WAIT YOU TWO! YOU FORGOT TO PICK OUT YOUR NEW NAME!" Gai tried to scream to get their attention, but by now, they were both specks in the gradually brightening horizon. Plus the teary-eyed speech did not help matters. Gai tried to sigh and continued to sob, but he couldn't help but chuckle a little in his tears._

_'Those two… they will be great Trainers, regardless of their past failures. Only hard work can break through even the toughest walls.' He recited in his mind, watching the dust cloud evaporate in the sky. 'If they only picked out the name I wanted to give them… I was certain the name 'Lee' would have fit.'_

_He can only reminisce about the past, and hope that Naruto had a safe journey in the future. It was quite nostalgic as he looked up into the clouds._

_…_

_… …_

_But now… he had other things to take care of. He wiped off the tears and adopted a face with the upmost seriousness. He then turned towards a lone tree._

_"You can come out now…"_

_A short elderly figure came out of the trees, wearing a white robe and had gray hair on the back of his head and on his chin like a goatee. He held a large staff on his left hand as it acted like a cane. On the old facial visage, a sincere smile crept up on his face._

_"…Professor."  
_**(1)**

**.o0o.**

"Huff! Finally out of that damn cave!"

The bubble-gum girl Sakura screeched as she ran out and breathed in a tank-load of fresh oxygen and sunlight; possibly to refill her screeching lungs. Out followed the rest of the trainers out into the open.

"Shut it, Forehead! I don't need to hear your voice the first thing we come out of the damn tunnel!" Ino shot back, trying to block her eyes from the beating sun.

"Ugh… and it's back to bickering yet again…" Shikamaru drawled out. Luckily, Ino was too tired or too busy arguing with Sakura to snap back at him. He'll take that over being berated, of course.

The Konoha 10 were at the front, now discussing their next move. Menma, Chimchar, Damian and Tenten hung at the back of course.

"Sheesh… those guys certainly are impatient…" Tenten remarked, sighing as Damian, Menma and the bun-haired girl watched Sasuke and Kiba run ahead. One was demanding they get there and not to lag behind and the other just ecstatic that he could fight against another Gym leader and wipe the floor with them. Sakura and Ino were still arguing with each other and Hinata just kept walking forward while talking to Shino. Neji kept to himself, but he was certainly speed-walking towards the next city, expecting himself to win the next one. Shikamaru followed behind Neji, hoping to get away from the noise and Chouji…

"Awww… my lunch is spoiled…" Chouji cried crocodile tears as he had to dump his smelling barbeque meat. Chimchar caught the bad aroma and immediately stumbled backwards, almost falling off its special seat. Happiny in Tenten's arms began to cry because of the foul odor, but it quickly blew over as the wind blew it away.

"Yeah. You sure it's okay for them to go all at the same time?" Damian asked, with an eyebrow raised as all three of them began to walk on their own pace, passing by Chouji and his spoiled barbeque.

"Well, we all kinda grew up at the same time, so I guess it just makes us more comfortable." Tenten answered, chuckling sheepishly.

"It makes them a rather large ragtag bunch of Mankeys, considering that you guys got into trouble with Team Sound." Menma quipped, with Chimchar nodding, especially at the Mankeys part. Tenten wasn't in the mood to snap back and just gave a sigh.

"Yeah… Everyone looks like they will never change…" Tenten softly added and her expression became downcast. She hopes that one day at least one of the Konoha 10 could at least grow up and mature.

"Oh… don't look so down, Tenten…" Damian reassured, patting her on the back with a worried expression. Tenten immediately turned around and shot him a look, prompting him to flinch a little.

"HEY! IT'S—! Oh you said my name!" Tenten corrected herself once she realized her mistake. She smiled and blushed in embarrassment, but it only lasted a second.

"Huh? What do you mean, Bunbun?"

"IT'S TENTEN! You know what? Forget it…!" **(2)** She gave up exasperatedly, throwing her hands up in the air. Her head began to hurt as she nursed it with her hand.

"Right. Don't listen to him, Pancham." Menma simply said, as Chimchar just lied down on Menma's shoulders, resting from its 'tough as nails' fight from last chapter.

"Not listening!" She snapped, as she just turned her head, with her arms tightening over Happiny's body. The Pokemon just tilted its head out of confusion.

"Anyway, now that that is over…" Damian began, as he turned to Menma with some begging eyes. "Please! Help me become a better trainer!" He pleaded, getting on his knees in an "I'm not worthy" style of begging. However, all it did is raise a questionable eyebrow on Menma's forehead and a sweat drop from Tenten.

"Ummm…" It was all Menma could say, before Damian grasped his hand and bowed his head, looking like a pleading pitiful beggar on the street, having nothing to eat for a week.

"Please!" At this point, tears were leaking out of his eyes. Whether or not they were crocodile tears or actual genuine tears, Naruto was about to decline, due to Damian being a little embarrassing and trying not to be too close to anybody that is close to the Konoha 10, until he remembered…

**.o0o.**

_"Don't let your past keep you from making friends!"_

**.o0o.**

"Fine." Menma simply stated albeit a little neutrally, which caused Damian to look up in surprise, before jumping for joy like a limp man being able to walk. Menma and Tenten just stared, dumbfounded and sweatdropped. "Well, he's off in his own little world." The cloaked boy deadpanned. Tenten didn't say anything, allowing the oddity in front of her just pass through, just like a lot of the oddities of the Konoha 10.

"ThankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouTHANKYOUUUAAAUGH!" Damian cried out, yet again grasping Naruto's hand like a lifeline. However, a second later, the blue-haired kid found himself flipped on the ground, with his arm twisted and locked, curtesy of Naruto. Another second later, the grip was immediately released.

"Sorry. Force of habit and instinct." Naruto sheepishly apologized.

"Oh umm…" Damian did figure that maybe he was being a little rude on the begging aspect. At least Menma agreed to it.

"Yeeeah. Now bring Fearow out." Menma commanded awkwardly, just like an instructor. Damian pulled out Fearow's Pokeball, and the Beak Pokemon was summoned.

"Fear…?" It muttered, still hurt from the… "Re-education" those goons tried to pull.

"Huh?! Why is it out of shape?! How did it get so hurt?!" Tenten exclaimed worryingly, with her jumping all around the place observing the large bird with bruises on its wing and body.

"Apparently Fearow's been tortured by those ragtag bunch of Mankeys." Menma replied, implying that Team Sound hurt the bird. Chimchar clenched its fist upon seeing the state of Fearow in front of it.

"It's all my fault…" Damian said out loud, obviously downcast by the turn of past events. "If I hadn't been caught by those thugs…"

"Damian, stop!" Naruto stated sternly. Damian flinched a little from the stern voice, which made Naruto soften his face. "What's done is done. You should remember that. The more important thing is what you are going to do to fix your problems." Naruto advised sagely, which made Damian's eyes sparkle a little. He then turned to Tenten. "You got any healing items and Potions, Pancham?"

Tenten gave a small grimace, but didn't mind the nickname. "Yeah. I should have spare ones, since the thugs didn't even bother to check my bags." She replied, pulling out a couple of Super Potions, antiseptic and bandages. She began to spray on the bruises, scratches and scabbing areas where Fearow was hurt. Thanks to the antiseptic, the wounds shouldn't be infected. All it did was make Fearow wince once or twice, since the bird Pokemon was made of tougher stuff.

"You got any of Fearow's favourite food, Damian?" Naruto asked, curious on what Fearow eats, but narrowed his eyes as Damian looked at him confused.

"Favourite… food?" Damian asked under his breath, trying to figure out the question himself.

"Ugh… I mean… He eats something right? What does he eat…?" Naruto sighed and reiterated the question to fit a more general answer.

"Well… often at times, I give Fearow around an hour just to let it get his own food, since I'm not really that good in cooking." Damian sheepishly answered. "Sometimes Fearow would find some wild berries or a small Bug Pokemon to eat. But…" He said, thinking harder than ever.

"But…?"

"But a couple of times, I believe the Fearow raided picnic grounds where there was old sandwiches and bits of a fruit salad. It would just gobble it all up." Damian nodded, reminiscing the memories, and feeling a little more shame from the way he acted. Nevertheless, he stood his ground for Menma did say that 'what's done is done'.

"So it likes man-made cuisine more than nature's pick." Tenten interjected with wonder, where both boys looked at her direction. "It was often said that certain condiments came from the berries Pokemon eat, like hot sauce coming from ripe Tamato Berries, vinegar came from red wine, Oran Berries and an Iapapa Berry, and soya sauce came from a blend of Cornn Berry, Bluk Berry and soya beans." She informed, with Damian giving an unconscious "ohhhh" while Naruto nodded. **(3)**

"I see." He muttered then turned his attention to Fearow. "I can tell Chimchar understands as well." Naruto added with a small smirk, watching Chimchar bring out its box of dumplings that Naruto made back at the Pokemon Center near Mt. Moon. Hearing Naruto's quip made Chimchar freeze, before turning its head slowly to Naruto, its eyes a little guilty and watery. However, Naruto understood what Chimchar was trying to do, and he made no intentions to stop it. He knelt down to give it a pat on the head. "Don't eat it all by yourself. Give some to Fearow while you are at it." The black-haired boy said gently, with Chimchar spreading a little smile on its face, while Fearow just looked confused. Damian watched with wonder, understanding the mechanics and tone Menma used. Tenten just giggled at the display of comradery those two exhibited.

Carefully, Chimchar grabbed a dumpling, big enough to fit its palm like how a human holds a large grapefruit. Fearow looked up to see Chimchar, offering what looks like a meat dumpling covered in soya sauce. It first looked inquisitively at Chimchar, then at the dumpling. Then back at Chimchar, then back at the dumpling. When it was certain that Chimchar was offering that soya-sauce dumpling, Fearow used its beak to pick up the dumpling and gobble it up gingerly.

Naruto can only chuckle at how much the Beak Pokemon loves the soya-sauce meat dumplings so much, it had stars in its eyes. "Well now… looks like it has a favourite, Damian." He stated, with Damian nodding in awe, taking a whole slew of mental notes.

"Wow…."

In fact, Fearow loves it so much, that it grabbed another by itself using its beak and swallowed it whole.

And then another.

And then another.

And then another

And then yet another

And then yet again another. **(4)**

Before there was twenty dumplings in the large lunch box, and Fearow gobbled up twelve of them. It should be enough, so Chimchar pulled back the box and closed. However Fearow attempted to get more albeit in an obsessive way, but...

**SMASH!**

"Happiny!" Happiny cried as it landed straight on Fearow's back, which was sporting a big bruise on the back covered in bandages.

"FEEEACK!" It cried out painfully. Thankfully it didn't cough out its 'snack' of dumpling contents out of its stomach.

"Happiny! What did I tell you about landing on Pokemon?! You've nearly reinjured the patient!" Tenten scolded the Happiny who was just about to cry. However, it did deserve it, or at least, that's what both Naruto and Damian thought.

"Huh… I take it back." Naruto muttered.

"Take what back?" Damian asked.

"It's not a favourite… it's an obsession."

"Ah… Since Fearow loves it so much…"

"Don't worry. It isn't rare. Chimchar and I love ramen." Naruto simply stated, remembering how he ate ramen for most of his life when he was just a kid. Cup ramen and nearby stores would supply him with his daily needs, which he shares with Chimchar almost all the time. At that point, the Chimp gained that unhealthy obsession for ramen, but for now it must be subdued to keep an appearance. **(5)**

Damian was actually silent for a moment, before opening his mouth again. "Would it be too much if I asked you to teach me?" He asked, knowing that he was probably stretching Menma's offer for help, which made his shoulders sag a little when Naruto looked at him with an eyebrow raised.

"Hmmm… Well, do you have any prior cooking experience?" Menma asked professionally.

"W-Well I…" Damian stuttered and shook a little. The professional tone from Menma could possibly mean a no. However, he was caught off guard with the follow-up.

"Could you at least toast bread and boil water?" The cloaked trainer asked, still keeping the professional voice, but coupled along with the question made Damian confused as all hell.

"Er… Uhhhh…. Yeah."

"Then sure thing. We'll start tonight!" Menma chirped. Truth is, Naruto's second favourite food is the meat dumpling, which is also Chimchar's most favourite food. He learned how to cook firstly by himself when he lived in the dorms, and then formally with Gai-sensei during their training 'apprenticeship', like kneading dough, stir-frying, roasting over a fire, boiling water, etc. Even if it was a few years, he wasn't a master in dumpling-making or ramen-making, but comparing past Naruto to present Menma was like comparing a spoonful of water to a two-litre jug.

Damian was silent, a little shocked and deadpanned at the sight of Menma's ever-changing attitude. But for now, he couldn't really care.

"Anyway, Pancham, what's the diagnosis?" Naruto asked, stopping Tenten from hugging a crying Happiny out of a motherly instinct.

"Huh? Oh right! The Fearow is going to be fine. Only some bruising and scratches, and I'm pretty sure it doesn't have any broken bones or internal wounds." Tenten diagnosed professionally, which earned a sigh of relief from Damian. "However, you will have to check it out in the Pokemon Center. Tsunade-sama will be able to finalize it with you at the next town." She finished with a satisfied huff and a puffed up chest.

"Pi! Pi! Pi!" Happiny cried out cheerfully, trying to clap its hands together.

Damian was relieved to hear Tenten say that. "Ah. I'll do that when we reach Cerulean… So Menma, what's the next step to bonding?"

"Step? Damian, it's not a step-wise plan." Naruto advised, which got some confused looks from Damian and Tenten. "It's an experience with bonding with a partner and a friend like Fearow. It doesn't require steps, just experience and knowing your Pokemon in order to become stronger." He responded sagely, catching Fearow's attention along with Chimchar's. "If you mess up, then you make it up and make sure you never make that mistake again." Naruto finished with a smile, hoping they could get a reaction out of his short 15 second speech.

"Oh…" Damian simply said, his internal machinations beginning to run again after listening and absorbing the speech. Personally, Damian thought it would take a lot of steps and practice to become strong with Fearow, but now he knows that perhaps just being with Fearow, whether it was eating or training, would make him stronger than before. He twisted his head to catch Fearow's attention, both of them smirking.

"Anyway, we should go. It's almost sundown." Naruto called, walking ahead. "We should hurry to Cerulean before it gets dark."

Like Menma said, Damian looked up to notice that the sky was certainly getting darker in colour. "Yeah. Thanks for taking care of my Pokemon, Bunbun. Let's go." He thanked the girl sincerely with a smile and ran off towards Menma.

"IT'S TENTEN! HOW HARD IS IT TO SAY MY NAME?!"

"Huh? What did Panda say, Damian?" Menma asked, far ahead from Tenten's yelling voice.

"Pancham? I think you mean Bunbun." Damian replied, with a sincere smile and no hint of mischief.

"Bunbun? That her name?"

"Yeah. I mean, I can understand if you did call her Pancham though…"

"Pancham?"

"I call them like I see them."

"DAMN YOU TWO!" If one was watching closely, one could see one enraged "smaller-than-the-pack" "Pangoro" with arms thrashing, chasing two innocent Trainers screaming into the sunset.

**.o0o.**

"Huff… well, that should do it. Better head back home. Mom'll kill me…"

An orange-haired girl gave a sad tired sigh before returned her Water Pokemon into Pokeballs and began walking towards the beaten path towards the bright city in the sunset sky. The girl in question had a red duffle bag strapped behind her and wore a yellow shirt that exposed her midriff. Short blue jean-shorts was what she wore, along with red suspenders to keep the pants up. Adorned on her feet were sneakers and her hair was in a side-ponytail hairstyle. Green eyes looked towards the ground and if one looked closely, they held sadness and loneliness.

"Nah… she wouldn't be. She probably left the door locked anyway."

The girl responded to her own question aloud, with no one to hear but stray Pokemon that would come across her. Her chest felt heavy as she had a slender hand touch that area with her whole palm. She would ask this question all the time, and the answer was always the same.

_'You're just not cut out for the Waterflower.'_

"Hmph. I don't need her. I don't need anybody! I can take care of myself just fine! Or my name isn't Misty Waterflower!"

Misty told herself in a huff. It felt like a mantra whenever she finished her training session. A phrase to head home, an answer to stop going there with a weakened resolve, emotions of defiance and confidence and then…

The beginning of the tears.

Even if Waterflower looked like she can stand on her own two feet, the truth is she still can't stand without anybody to help her. Stinging in the corner of her eyes were little glistening balls of liquid, something that even herself couldn't stop the flow. Every time she could just curl up, whether it was on a bed at home, a bed at the Pokemon Center inn or even at a nearby forest tree. The pain of neglect and distrust was beginning to take a toll on her. However Misty continued her path, hoping she could find a distraction from the negative thoughts that plagued her. **(6)**

**_SQUELCH_**

Thankfully, she found her answer that stopped on her tracks.

"Huh?" She stopped and then caught a strong whiff. It smelled like… spoiled meat and barbeque sauce. When she looked down, what she saw made her scream.

"EEEEYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUGGGHHHHHH! GRRR-ROSS!"

She shrieked as she immediately hopped off of the pile of… whatever it is (it looks like spoiled barbecue meat)… and immediately tried to wipe off the nasty sludge off her feet.

After a few minutes of intense wiping on grass, tree bark and dirt, she sighed and just trudged back home, feeling even more tired than usual. Her now ruined shoe was visible to the public.

"Can't believe I stepped on Pokemon poo! That's just nasty…! What a way to ruin an evening…."

Well…. At least she got her distraction. **(7)**

* * *

**(1) The Professor is a lot more conniving than people give him credit for. Keep in mind that Sarutobi let Naruto go. Before, he would risk a limb to get Naruto back into the Academy because he loves the boy a lot. However, the monkey just... let him go that easily. Make up your own theories.**

**(2) Tenten is gonna become the next Butch...**

**(3) I wanted to clarify on how many of the Pokemon Berries were incorporated into human food. I can't explain meats sadly, but veggies are a given since celeries and broccoli were easily there. I just want a little bit more depth into the food of the Pokemon world.**

**(4) If anyone of you read the Pokemon manga, Ash had a Fearow during the Cerulean City arc where its favourite food was dumplings with soya sauce. Here, it's the same thing, although it might develop into something more...**

**(5) Yeah they love ramen. It wouldn't be Naruto without Naruto loving ramen. Although everyone in Konoha Academy knows that Naruto eats ramen three to four times a day, keeping that urge suppressed would help him keep the identity.**

**(6) Yeah I'm doing it. Misty is in this story, and so is her family. She will be traveling with Naruto/Menma, BUT she won't be the official pairing. Possibly a love interest, but not the pairing. Menma is trying to hide his identity after all.**

**She was a suggestion by Reaver91. It kinda works...**

**(7) Yuck!**

* * *

**Dudes, dudettes and doofuses! I welcome you to another chapter of The Failures' Journey! I hope you enjoy! I know this one could be a little short and you were expecting Cerulean City, but I'm lazy today. I'm wondering though... do you like this length? Or do you prefer to go back to 6000 words per doc, but with 2 more weeks? Tell me in the reviews**

**Also, PM me or review me if I'm doing anything wrong, or if you want to have suggestions about the Kanto Arc! I'm willing to try, but I won't do anything that will revolve around the other regions yet. They will come later! **

**P.S. Am I developing a fanbase around this? I think I see the same people reviewing too! I'm happy that you guys enjoy this fic!**

**P.P.S. Anybody wanna make a cover for this fic? It would be appreciated!**

* * *

**Review Responses for Chapter 6:**

**suntan140: Yeah, I'm filled with those things called plot.**

**NinjaFang1331: I aim to please, young ninja! You can expect more from Bellsprout and Damian soon!**

**buterflypuss: Aye. Is that all you say? Cmon, be a little more wordy!**

**withdrawnmadness000: Ash? ... Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhh... Hue?**

**Guest: Like I said, you must VOTE if you want your choice to not be featured! OR ELSE WE WILL RUN 2000 LAPS AROUND THE CONTINENT WITH ONLY OUR PINKIES!**

**dfriel1996: I have something ready for Maylene. Kasey however... I haven't seen much of her in the anime (only two episodes?), so I don't know much about her.**

**Guest 2: Oh! So that's hwat you mean. Well, Chimchar has other attacks up the arsenal, like Thunderpunch (which I'm sure will hit). If it was any other fighting-type, then yeah, Menma would panic a little. Thanks for sharing your agreement on the love interest. I'm glad that you understand that writing love dramas can either be cliche or downright fast. And when it comes to love, you can't speed through a relationship. You must take it slow (speaking from a sad experience).**

**aikhazuna117: Oh I'm flattered! Also, thanks for reading this story! Here's your update like I promised! Hope it tastes like cookies!**

**ivan0061509: Well, this one isn't intense. It's more character-building. Hope you don't get turned off because of that.**

**mr: Well, I don't like too much action. I like character-building, which is kinda more my thing (I played a lot of Tales games). Anyway, we shall see what the legendary poll has set up for us! I can't take suggestions. I can only take votes! (sorry if I come off harsh in this response).**

* * *

**Responses for Update Message:**

**ivan0061509: You know, you may be the first person to understand this poll. When I saw the poll results, I was baffled.**

**Guest: Chimchar won't evolve until at the very last arc. However, you make a good point.**

**mr: Well, we'll see if your choice wins or not.**


	8. Chapter 7 - Take My Hand

_The evening sky had a very dark blue hue to it, with the east side being lighter than the other. Stars began to twinkle up into the sky like little sparkles seen from the reflections of the sun in the pond of water. The moon was filled with a white ethereal glow as it shined in the streets. Not many people in Pallet Town go out at night, so the streets were usually empty. However, footsteps echoed in the late evenings of Pallet Town as two sets of feet dragged across the dusty stone road of Pallet Town._

"_Umm, you said you wanted to take me out somewhere, right Professor Jiji?" A young boy's voice belonging to Naruto Uzumaki asked in curiosity, with the sound of careless dragging of feet indicating a casual stroll._

"_Why yes, Naruto. It's a place owned by an old friend when we were both trainers. He was once my rival, but now he's a chef, surpassing me in terms of his skill." The voice of Professor Hiruzen was heard replying to little Naruto, the boy holding the professor's sagely sleeves, as they both walked. He carried his wooden staff with his free hand, like a cane for the elderly._

_Both of them were somewhat close to each other. Naruto was quite the ball of energy when he was close to Hiruzen, while Hiruzen was reminded of his grandson Konohamaru and his son Asuma when they were 6 years old. Usually, the old man would peek out the window of his study and see Naruto being all smiley and happy-go-lucky, but also a little reserved from the other kids. It was almost as if he was keeping his distance from most of the kids and the instructors in the Academy. It was strange, Hiruzen thought, that he himself would be the closest human friend, albeit the only close human friend, that Naruto would ever have. He was the Headmaster, for Arceus's sake!_

"_Oh, we're getting close! I can just smell it from here!" Hiruzen said excited, yet also joking around with Naruto, who only gave him a tilt on the head and a glance. The old man salivated on the imagery of food, as his nose caught the whiff of something cooking in the distance. Naruto looked at him weirdly until he caught the smell of food as well. His tumbly became rather rumbly as both Hiruzen and Naruto spotted what looked like a small stand, with its red curtains blocking some of the light that is pouring out into the evening dark colours. As soon as they approached it and opened the flaps, a bright warm welcome greeted them, and a plethora of delicious smells hit the both of their senses full force._

"_Welcome to Ichiraku Ramen!" An old yet hardy voice greeted them as two people in clothings that resemble chefs. One of the chefs looked old, a little younger than the professor by the look of his greying hair compared to Hiruzen's almost balding head. However, his voice and welcoming face still showed spirit._

"_May we take your order?" The other chef followed up, her cheerful and polite voice and demeanor bound to raise anyone's smile. The female chef had brown hair cascading down her back, with a bandanna covering her head. One lock, however, took place at the side of her face. She had rather round black button eyes and a pretty face, which made Naruto blush a little._

"_Ah, Teuchi! Ayame! Great to see you again!" Hiruzen jovially said, with an old smile on his face that had a mirth of excitement in his voice. "The usual bowl please! And one more for my friend here!" His stomach rumbled at the mention of "the usual"._

"_Ah Hiruzen, my old friend! Who's your little friend there?" The old chef jovially smiled as his old smiling face closed in on the boy, who was still captivated by the smell of the stand. Naruto looked around in awe, seeing bright orange wooden walls with a green counter on the front. The brightness of the ramen stand's lanterns contrasted greatly to the outside darkness, which made Naruto marvel at it a lot more, making a face that made Ayame squeal._

"_Awww he's so cute, Professor! Can I keep him, Dad?!" Ayame begged to her father, her eyes sparkling and her mouth stretching to the biggest smile Naruto has ever seen. It's even stranger that he's the one who caused such a huge smile._

"_That depends. You should ask the Professor, not me!" Teuchi replied, with unchanging vigour._

"_Professoooooooor~!" The brown-haired lady pouted and gave her best __**Baby-Doll Eyes**__, a move that made Hiruzen widen his eyes. "May I please have your student? He's sooooooo delicious and adorable~~~!" Ayame asked drooling, with much more convincing power than before. Already, Hiruzen felt his control slipping. Teuchi just laughed heartily at the struggling and sweating professor, unable to give a coherent answer._

"_Hahahaha! Now now, Ayame! __**Play Nice**__!" Teuchi joked, trying to save his old friend from having a heart attack. Ayame immediately stopped her pout and glared at her father._

"_Daaad! Don't ruin the fun!"_

"_Hey Jiji. Who are those two?" Naruto finally asked inquisitively, tugging on the sleeve and pointing to the two at the counter. Hiruzen's attention snapped out of Ayame's eyes and looked at Naruto, thanking whatever God there was for saving him from handing over Naruto. Ayame and Teuchi turned back to Naruto, smiling both warmly and gleefully._

"_Ah right. I haven't introduced you to them yet!" Hiruzen chuckled, then brought Naruto to his seat. "This is Teuchi Ichiraku, my old friend and owner of this ramen stand, Ichiraku Ramen! Beside him is his daughter, Ayame Ichiraku! Teuchi, Ayame, this is Naruto!"_

"_Thank you for cooking ramen for me, Teuchi. Ayame." Naruto bowed, trying to be polite to them rather than being loud and brash, knowing that he already has their attention. Ayame shuddered from the cuteness that Naruto unconsciously displayed, almost vying to steal Naruto away from the professor and hug him to death. Teuchi, on the other hand, just nodded back and brought out a notepad and a pencil._

"_Alright! Two miso ramen bowls, two plates of steamed pork dumplings and two cups of light oolong tea! Coming right up!" Teuchi announced their orders then tore the paper and placed it in the back window. "Hear that, Tentie?! We got an order!" The old ramen chef called to the back. Naruto at first looked confused until suddenly a brown slimy tentacle suddenly shot out into the open and grabbed the piece of paper._

"_WAH! What was that, Professor Jiji?!" Naruto jumped in fright out of his seat as he saw the tentacle retract with the piece of paper stuck on the slime. His face was pale as everyone chuckled at the sight._

"_Oh don't worry, Naruto! It's any second now!" Hiruzen reassured Naruto, which made him go back into his seat a little warily. Suddenly, four more tentacles appeared over from the kitchen to the serving area, carrying two bowls of ramen, along with eight more brown tentacles, carrying various other utensils like side dishes, like two orders of deep friend dumplings, two minibowls to carry the soya sauce and two sets of wooden chopsticks._

"_Whooooaaaa…..!" Naruto looked at the assorted array of tentacles carrying a large amount of items that no human can do. Heck, not even two people could carry! "Was that a Pokemon?" Naruto turned to his Jiji, eyes sparkling from what he just say. Hiruzen and Teuchi could only chuckle at the similarity, given that Ayame just had that look when she was eyeing Naruto._

"_Why yes it is, Naruto." The professor sagely replied as he broke his chopsticks and gave thanks to the meal. "After all, that's what Ichiraku Ramen is famous for!" He continued as he looked at the open window, where the kitchen was. Out there, two red translucent orbs wobbled around in the bottom corners of the kitchen, until the full view of said Pokemon appeared, giving Naruto a tiny jump._

"_Tentacruel!" _**(1)**_ It greeted happily, judging from its eyes and its tentacle waving. The Pokemon resembled a Water-type due to its blue colouring in its head. The two large red crystals contrasted with the blue head, with the miniature third jewel glinting a little. It had sharp, yet happy eyes (from as far as Naruto could tell) with a black lower body with a whole gathering of brown sticky tentacles moving all around the place. They were doing all sorts of cooking, like chopping vegetables, molding dumplings, deep frying dumplings, stretching the dough, steaming dumplings, shaking canisters of ramen and kneading dough._

"_Thanks for helping today, Tentie-chan!" Ayame cheered and offered her hand in the air, which the Tentacruel kindly slapped it like a… high-tentacle._

"_Tenta!" The Jellyfish Pokemon bowed and retreated towards the back pond, using its eighty tentacles to move around. Naruto just stared at the door, amazed to how a Pokemon could be this… civilized. Hiruzen chuckled while slurping his ramen._

"_You should start eating! Wouldn't want to get your ramen cold, my little Naru~! Ayame chirped, snapping Naruto out of his trance and began to give thanks to the food._

"_YOUR little Naru?" Teuchi asked in a teasing tone. "I never did say you could keep him!" He crossed his arms in a mock pout, which made Ayame blush a little in embarrassment. Inwardly however, Mr. Ichiraku was laughing at the predicament Ayame was in._

"_Ehehehehe…. Well…" Ayame tried to_

"_**WHOA!**__"_

_Everyone was a little startled from the outburst, until they saw Naruto, completely baffled on what he just ate. It was almost as if he found the rarest and strongest Legendary Pokemon out there._

"_This stuff is delicious, Gramps!" Naruto beamed as he began to scarf the food down his throat, almost as if he hasn't eaten in a week. He then began to gobble down the dumplings at the same rate as the dumplings, sucking them in like a vacuum and chewing them like a woodchipper _**(2)**_. Ayame was watching with amazement, then she giggled a little at the mess Naruto made. Hiruzen gave a questioning stare with a hint of disgust, while Teuchi just gave a bellowing laugh._

"_Ahahahahaha! That's the spirit, Naruto!" Teuchi cheered on, which got an objecting look from Hiruzen, hoping that Naruto wouldn't continue eating like that for the rest of his days. "I told you Ayame! Ramen is the key to the pursuit of happiness and friendship!" Ayame just looked at him with a raised eyebrow._

"_Uhmmm yeah sure, Father." She smiled and rolled her eyes just as Naruto was finished._

"_Could I get another one, please and thank you!?" Naruto asked childishly, his eyes dilating from the sheer overwhelming deliciousness he just ate through, and his mouth watering in delight for another round of the Ichiraku miso ramen._

_"You could~, but you may not~!" Ayame replied playfully, wagging her finger in front of Naruto, who immediately had his smile shattered from being denied another bowl of salty miso heaven. Of course she was kidding, but to a gullible 6-year-old, that just wasn't _

"_W-Whaaa….?" He whimpered, almost as if everything is becoming dark and oppressed around him. His head hung on the counter and his eyes blank and teary due to heart-shattering misery. "N….No…." It was almost as if he felt like a prisoner and an outsider from the gates of heaven itself. A gong resounded in the air with a couple of Murkrows cawing outside, with the other three occupants sweat dropping._

"_W-Wait Naruto! I was just kidding! Of course you can have one…!" Ayame sheepishly reprimanded her decision, which made Naruto suddenly brighten up with the biggest smile flashing on his face._

"_REALLY?!"_

"_ONLY, if you say the magic word, Naru~!"_

"_Puleeeeeeeeez?"_

"_No, the other magic word!"_

"_Thanks, Ayame?"_

"_No no, the other OTHER magic word!"_

"_Oh umm… Abracadabra?"_

"_And SHAZZAM!" Ayame removed a large kitchen cloth that was conveniently hiding a piping hot miso ramen underneath it a few second ago. Witnessing such a 'magical' trick and the heavenly smell at a young age, Naruto squealed and clapped his hands like a child, gullible to the magician's assistant under the counter. The two old men who watched chuckled at the sight._

"_Don't worry, Hiruzen, old pal! It's on the house for tonight!" Teuchi reminded, making sure that Hiruzen's wallet wasn't emptying due to the human void beside him, able to suck in as much ramen as he pleases._

"_Ah, thanks old friend." Hiruzen thanked the Ichiraku, unconsciously wiping a bead of sweat off his wrinkled brow. He then smiled at the sight of Naruto taking his time to eat the ramen, courtesy of Ayame teaching him manners. Things were really looking up for Naruto.  
_

**.o0o.**

"Hmmm…" Menma hummed as he chewed on the first homemade dumpling that Damian has made. It only took one evening and a morning for him to try cooking and steaming the dumplings himself, with Tenten occasionally helping. Even though Damian didn't know how to cook, he certainly didn't do half bad on his first batch himself.

"W-Well?" Damian asked timidly, a little afraid on how his first time with cooking would wound up as. On Menma's right, Tenten decided to take a taste test herself, making the same humming sound as Menma.

"Hmmm… Hmhmmmm~!" Tenten nodded and smiled at Damian. "It's actually really good!" She complimented, making Damian smile and breathe a sigh of relief.

"That's a relief." The blue-haired boy said, his hand on the apron. However, when he looked at Menma, he did not see approval.

"Hmm… Hmmmmmmmmm…" The black-haired boy kept chewing and chewing until swallowing oh so dramatically. It gave Damian something to sweat about, with Tenten looking at him worried. If one could listen carefully, a clock ticked in the background, upping the tension. Suddenly, Menma opened his eyes and snapped his fingers.

"Ah!"

That made Damian and Tenten jump in surprise, and whipped his body to Damian. "It's good, don't get me wrong. The average Joe would like your dumplings, Damian, but as a man who cooks these all the time, I have to say that it's certainly missing a few… ingredients." Menma judged Damian, the former looking thoughtful rather than strict, which gave the latter a confused look. "What ingredient is that? Well… that's up to you." The black-haired boy reviewed to Damian, who only gave another confused look.

"Huh? You mean there are more ingredients? But I followed the recipe."

"Yeah I know."

"Wait. Damian here followed your instructions carefully. And it's good too! So what's going on?" Tenten added.

"Yes, but it wouldn't help adding white pepper in, or perhaps any salt or garlic, don't you think?" Naruto smiled, letting the thought sink in to his two dumbfounded pupils.

"Salt? Garlic?" Damian stuttered with wide eyes, with Tenten looking at Damian strangely. The blue-haired boy immediately grabbed the recipe sheet and skimmed the ingredients, finally noticing what's up. Tenten took a peek as well and gasped.

"There's no salt or garlic!" Tenten pointed out. Damian just looked at the recipe shocked, then both of them snapped their heads towards Menma. They were about to say something, but both of them zipped their lips as Menma had that unusual serious look on his face.

"Damian. Bunbun."

"IT'S TENTEN!"

"Whatever. Now that you know, this will be the first lesson I give to you." Naruto said in a sagely tone.

"Huh…?!" Both of them raised their eyebrows, but Menma continued explaining.

"In cooking, the recipe is not always set in stone." Naruto advised as he slowly walked towards the pair. "Sure you can follow the recipe to the stone, but that's how you make the food. It's up to you on how to make the food tasty."

"Make the food… tasty?" Damian repeated, not getting the concept.

"But… how?" Tenten asked, also dumbfounded.

"Well that's up to you. It takes a lot of tries to perfect. Like sesame seeds in the meat, or garlic powder in the dumpling wrap, or even green onion to top off the dumpling when it finishes. This is what a true master looks for." He stops in front of Damian and Tenten, with a small smile on his face and a finger risen in the air. "'Through both observation and the reviews of others, we look for ways to improve their cooking little by little with sugar and spice and everything nice.'" He quoted, with Damian and Tenten looking astounded.

"Wow…" Tenten can only mutter.

"It's the same for battles too." Menma added, Damian snapping even more into attention.

"Battles? How so?"

"You add your own improvements to the battle through heavy practice. Reading some fighting scroll will teach you the stances or watching someone else train will have you understand their methods, but ultimately, it is up to you on how to utilize the stances to sate your hunger to get stronger. Otherwise, you'll end up with terrible losses and morale with only bland, stale moves that won't win anyone over." Naruto advised sagely, even with all the food puns.

"But… what does that mean for me?" Damian asked, absorbing all the dense information.

"It means that I can only give you advice, tips and tricks on the know-hows. It's up to you on how you train your Pokemon which can spell the results, delicious or not. It's impossible to copy everything I do and become me, but you can learn from me and add onto your own."**(3)**

"Oh. Alright then! I'll get stronger, along with my Pokemon and the people I know! And it will be the tastiest victory yet!" Damian declared, a smile branching off his face. Naruto chuckled a little, with Tenten giggling at the side. **(4)**

"Yeah. I will help, however I can, Damian!" Tenten also declared, standing by Damian who was a little stunned.

"Really?" He asked. Honestly, Damian did not expect to have someone to train with on the side, mostly because he always trained alone.

"Of course!" She replied with a happy demeanor. Damian can only raise a big toothy smile before…

**GUURRRRRGLE**

A stomach growled within Damian, as he rightfully became embarrassed. "Sorry, but I haven't ate all morning…! Who knew cooking is hard work!" He muttered, but as he turned to his stash or freshly-made dumplings…

**GULP**

"FEAROW!" Damian stared in shock, seeing all his dumplings eaten by Fearow, who somehow came in unnoticed and ate all the dumplings with a satisfying belch.

"Fear." It simply said as it drifted into a nice nap on the counter. Damian could only go on his knees and moan and sigh depressingly with Tenten comforting him on the side.

"Well, at least you have your number #1 fan, Damian." Menma quipped on the side, shrugging his shoulders as his stomach began to growl a little.

"~Chim-char, Chim-char Chim-char~."

Suddenly, humming and chanting was heard near the stove. Menma noticed another familiar smell on the side as he turned his head. His mouth stretched into a smile as he saw a familiar Chimp Pokemon wearing a chef's hat manning the kitchen.

"About time you got here, Chimchar."

"Char!" It said, as it held out a bowl of an uncooked meat mixture. Naruto's smile got wider as he can already imagine the dumplings.

"Need a hand? They aren't going to roll themselves you know!"

**.o0o.**

The breakfast went by pretty fast, but it was a delicious meal according to Damian and Tenten. It was almost "bursting with goodness" since they haven't tried any from last evening since Fearow gobbled those all up. Tenten was nearly in tears when she tried it, and Damian asked what their secret ingredient is. Well, more like begged.

"Well, if we told you then it wouldn't be secret anymore." Naruto told Damian while Chimchar was casually waving a finger. It was almost like it was saying 'can't touch this' with its finger alone.

So Damian and Tenten were left to their own devices after washing the dishes and Naruto and Chimchar went about, exploring the outskirts of Cerulean City's forest areas. Trees and leaves were what they saw that covered the glowing sky, almost like a shelter for any incoming rain. There wasn't any unhealthy grass out of the way or any rocks that were wrecking any of nature's green foundations. It was just so… lush.

"Wow, the forests look so green…" Naruto murmured as he walked with an astonished Chimchar on his shoulder. He knows he's stating the obvious since the city has streams nearby, but it was still amazing to see the greenery near the riverside. Compared to Pewter City or Mount Moon, this place screamed relaxation and a nature paradise. **(5)**

"Chiiim…" Chimchar hummed in agreement. It then hopped off of Naruto's shoulder and began walking on its own, trying to encompass itself with the smell of fresh air. The Chimp felt euphoric after breathing in the air, as if it was in a trance-like state with a smile on its face.

"Oi, Chimchar. Don't pass out on me!"

"Char?" Chimchar looked at Naruto dumbly, not listening to what he was saying during the freshest breath it ever had.

"Oh sorry. It looked like you were going to sleep on the spot." Naruto apologized and gave a small chortle. Chimchar followed up with its own giggle, but then looked towards the river on its right.

"Chim! Chimchar!" Chimchar cried as it pointed towards a swimming school of Magikarp swimming by. The red fish Pokemon swam, occasionally leaping up and down and causing a splash.

"Wow! So that's what Cerulean Magikarp looks like…" Naruto looked in amazement as he cracked a smile from watching the school splash and hop about. He was so focused on the school of Magikarp that he didn't notice a presence lurking behind him.

"Well, duh! Of course! You haven't seen a Magikarp before?" A sharp-tongued voice came from behind the duo. They turned around to catch the sight of an orange haired girl looking at them with emerald eyes and a furrowed brow. By the looks of it, she has quite the hotheaded temper.

"Hey! I've seen plenty of Magikarp! I've just never seen any that's as ugly as those ones!" Naruto rebuked, not realizing what he said. That blew a fuse within the girl, who was now red in the face.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?! WATER TYPES UGLY?!" The girl's steaming head screamed at Naruto, almost enlarging up to the size of a car. Her eyes stared down on Naruto's stoic form. Chimchar just looked confused as to what the girl's beef was about. "I'll have you know that Cerulean's wild Water Pokemon are the most beautiful Kanto will ever find! The Magikarp's scales are the most sparkling when they rush out of the water, and the Goldeen's tail fins are the most beautiful as they flap with the sea and-!"

**FLASH**

A flash of light erupted out of the girl's Pokeball tucked in her belt. Out of the Pokeball came a yellow Pokemon, with a large light bill, three black feathers on its round head and two beady eyes. Two webbed hands held its cranium as if any moment, the head would roll out of its body. It had a stout yellow body with feathers, along with two webbed feet and a tail.

"Psy?" The Pokemon cried out as it tilted its head.

In all honestly, it looked quite dopey.

"You… caught that Pokemon near Cerulean, right?" Naruto asked, a little off about the duck Pokemon right in front of it. Chimchar was the same, although felt a little bit of pity on how dopey it was. The orange-haired girl however…

"PSYDUCK! STOP GOING OUT OF YOUR POKEBALL!"

"Psy?"

"DON'T Psy? ME! GET BACK INTO YOUR POKEBALL!"

"…?" The duck looked confused and absent-minded from the anger of the orange-haired girl and just tilted its head. Because of the lack of answer, which can be mistaken for disrespect, the girl was about to lash out at the Psyduck.

**SWOOSH**

However, one Pokemon stood in her way. One lone Chimchar, with one fierce, determined glare on its face, stood in her way, arms stretched, defending the confused Psyduck.

"Huh?! Hey, Chimchar!" Naruto called out, as he was taken aback to Chimchar's behaviour.

"Hey! Why are you defending it?!" She cried out, her anger taking over her rationality. It only served to solidify Chimchar's position as it shook its head.

"Chim Chimchar!" Chimchar tried to reason with the girl, who wasn't really listening and couldn't understand its Pokemon tongue. Again, it served no purpose other than angering the girl who was also about to lash out again, until someone took a strong hold of her arm.

She struggled, not seeing who was gripping her hand. A second later, she turned…

… and grew pale in the face.

"Don't you dare do something you'll regret!"

Naruto snarled, his eyes red with enmity. His teeth showing in his snarl as if the world grew darker. The black-haired boy understood that someone would attack a Pokemon in self-defence, but when it came to abuse, that's where he draws the line.

The orange-haired girl nearly blanched from the visage that will haunt her for days. However, in the dark corners of her mind that was kept locked away, one certain haunt arose.

"_Don't you dare do something you'll regret!" _**(6)_  
_**

The words were the same, and so was the killer intent. The girl felt like she needed to vomit as she began to sob a little. Tears began welling and her eyes began to dilate a little, as her breath began to quicken. Chimchar had a face of confusion, since it was new to… whatever the human was doing, but Naruto widened his eyes as he quickly lets go of her. He knew those eyes. Those fear-stricken eyes.

Just like his when he was little.

But before Naruto could do anything, the female took off in panic, through the foliage of trees. Although before that, one of the Pokeballs that were stuck on her broke off of her belt, and with that, she dashed off. Naruto can only watch wide-eyed from that very image of her eyes, making him shudder and stiffen a little. Chimchar walked up, grabbed the Pokeball and gave it to Naruto, not knowing what to do.

"Chimchar…" Naruto said, catching the Chimp's attention while regaining his composure. "You saw those… those eyes, didn't you?" He asked, a little worried about the runaway. Chimchar of course nodded, which gave Naruto a sigh of relief then took a look at the empty Pokeball.

"Misty… is that her name?" He said as he saw it written in marker, then back at the foliage where Misty climbed through. "We should probably help her." Naruto muttered then turned to Chimchar, who nodded without a second's hesitation, and Psyduck, who looked dumbfounded, but also had a little sadness in its eyes.

'_I guess it misses Misty… who knew Pokemon's loyalty can run so deep within?'_ Naruto thought **(7)**, before lightly clocking Psyduck's head with the Pokeball, making it return inside in a brilliant flash of red light. "Let's go." He said with finality as the duo ran through the foliage, hoping to find Misty and reconcile with her.

**.o0o.**

"Huff huff huff… I can't believe that… memory… resurfaced again…" Misty told herself, leaning against a tree, which was a good distance away from where she was. How did it come to this? First she was just going to her usual spot to train, but then a trainer and his Pokemon already occupied it. She would have told them politely to go somewhere else, but…

'_I've had to run my mouth, did I…?'_ She thought to herself, remembering what she did to provoke them, from annoying them with her long-winded speech, Psyduck mishaps, even threaten them. She sighed, trying to get those thoughts out of her head. _'I thought I told myself to let go of those memories long ago! I can't waste time here!'_ She motivated herself, with the thoughts of becoming one of the greatest Water-type trainer of all time. But first…

… She needed to apologize to Psyduck. She went to her belt and grabbed her Pokeball and-.

Wait.

"Huh? My Pokeball! Where did it…!?" She began, as she frantically searched for her missing Pokeball on her belt until she remembered.

She remembered that Psyduck went out of the Pokeball, and likely stuck there with the boy.

"Augh! Darn it!" She cursed herself for her foolishness. She sighed, before finally letting the tears run down on her face. _'Psyduck… it probably hates me now… I'm sorry…!'_ She cried in her thoughts as new sobs came in.

"Misty? Sis, is that you?"

Her sobs were broken out, as she looked up towards a seven-year-old boy standing in front of her. He had a round face, spiky black hair and dark-coloured pupils. The boy wore a green jumpsuit with a yellow shirt underneath and sandals. On his head was a white hat with blue stripes across of it.

"Inari! What are you doing here?" **(8)** Misty asked, obviously wasn't expecting the boy to actually come this far into the forest outskirts of Cerulean City. Her eyes met eyes of concern from Inari, as he knelt down gently wrapped his arms around Misty.

"Don't cry, sis. We all have our bad days…" Inari said, trying to comfort her.

"But… but it was worse than that! I… I yelled at one of my Pokemon and now… I'm afraid that it hates me…" Misty sobbed out, hugging her brother like he was her lifeline. Inari only sighed and continued to rub her hair until she quieted down. He could tell that it was tough on her, training alone. Even after a month of training, she can tell that she did not make any progress. Inari knew that it was due to what happened earlier with their parents and elder sisters.

Speaking of which…

"Well well, little sister. It's not surprising that you're crying in the corner again!"

A snide female voice interrupted Misty's and Inari's comfort as a young preteen woman walked through the bushes with an air of arrogance. The most notable feature is that she had long blue hair and an ornament that looks like red pearls going around her hair. She had a pink blouse which showed her midriff and blue tight jeans. Makeup was noticeable on her face and two green-jeweled earrings on her ears.

"Violet...! What do you want?" Misty was not in the mood to face her sisters, especially when they act like their world is their oyster.

"Oh don't worry about me~. I just wanted to see how much stronger my sister's gotten." She spoke in such a rude and snide manner. "But seeing how much of a wreck you are~…." She hung the sentence there. Inari was confused, but understood quickly as he saw Misty trembling in anger.

"Can't you go away, Violet? You're hurting my sis!" Inari snapped at Violet, obviously mad about his older sisters harping on the youngest one.

"Well if she isn't one of us Sensational Sisters," Violet spoke in a serious tone that surprised Inari and Misty, pointing to herself as an example. "Then our little sister here doesn't deserve respect, Inari. Just leave her sulking here. She'll learn~." She went back to her cheery voice. While the complete 180 in her mood would creep some regular people out, it only further angered the siblings in front of her. Soon, Misty couldn't stand it anymore and stood up enraged.

"I have a name you know! It's Misty!" She shouted at Violet. "You and the others always look down on me because I'm not good enough! Well, guess what?! I may be no prodigy, but I still have much more sense than the three of you combined! I at least train hard unlike you who had everything handed down to you lazy bums! I at least work hard to get stronger instead of being forced a swimmer! I can make my own dream, not be a meathead like you! You think you're so tough, so 'sensational' that you can't even care about anything but yourselves!" She then raises her finger directly at Violet, who just raises an eyebrow. "And you wanna know something?" She snarled in a quiet yet threatening voice. "No matter how many times you can put me down… I'll always get back up. I'd bet if anyone insulted you, you'd cry all the way back home!" Misty finished her rant, knowing that she attacked Violet's ego with all the pent-up rage she bottled up now unleashed. It would probably get her into trouble, but it needed to be said. Both Inari and Violet had widened eyes, one for newly-found respect and awe, while the other was filled with rage and fury.

"W-WHY YOU….!" Violet shrieked, then pulled out a Pokeball. With a brilliant flash of light came a blue spikey Seahorse Pokemon Seadra. Misty held her ground, not letting Violet's Pokemon frighten her one bit.

"Seadra!" It hissed out, in a lashing, serious tone, as it breathed in and fired a **Water Pulse**, a globe of water that fired straight towards the orange-haired girl. Misty held her ground firmly, not wanting to be put down by Violet any longer, whether physical or mental.

"SIS!" Inari cried out, afraid of the **Water Pulse** and her sister not moving an inch. Violet smirked as it was about to hit its target directly in the chest-!

"**DYNAMIC ENTRY!"**

A loud and familiar voice echoed from around the forest area, and within a span of a second, two blurs were seen coming from behind Misty.

"HYAAAAH!" Naruto cried out as he landed a double jump kick on the **Water Pulse**'s side, knocking it towards the river, where it exploded ungracefully. **(9)**

"CHAAAR!" Chimchar shouted, as it was able to ambush the Seadra and kicked its face directly, sending it flying far backwards into a tree. Misty was stunned, seeing the boy and his Pokemon defend her…

"No way…" She muttered under her breath, watching with baited breath the graceful martial arts they pulled.

"Wow…!" Inari was just as stunned, but was amazed by the killer techniques they pulled. He began to wish that he and his Pokemon could do the same thing.

"What?!" Violet was shocked and nervous at the same time. A random stranger pops out of nowhere and beats her Pokemon up? A… a boy and his Chimp Pokemon? Impossible! "W-Who are you?!"

"Me? Just call me Menma." Naruto simply stated. "Now then… tell me why you were about to hurt Misty here? You would have killed her! An innocent!" He questioned with a steady, yet furious tone. His emotions were in check, but inside they were bubbling.

"Well, she could have moved out of the way! She's just stupid!" Violet rebuked in an angry, yet arrogant tone. She thought she still was controlling the game of arguments.

"Wait! How did you know my name?" Misty interrupted, which prompted Naruto to dig into his cloak pocket and pull out an all-too familliar Pokeball.

"I believe this belongs to you, Misty." The boy smiled as it slid into Misty's hands. Seeing her name written in marker made her feel better.

'_Psyduck…'_ But it still made her feel terrible about the things she said about Psyduck. She was reluctant to open the ball.

"Don't worry. I'm pretty sure the Psyduck forgave you, even if it was a little absent-minded." Naruto quipped with a smile, something that made Misty a little more comforted. It almost made her blush. The sound of a Pokemon returning into their Pokeball, however, caught their attention.

"Don't think that will be that last of me, Menma!" Violet snarled, some of her sweat caused her makeup to ruin. "You even ruined my makeup! You jerk!"

"Oh shut up. You've done it to yourself, you sensational sissy." Naruto calmly insulted back, nearly making Violet see red. Misty choked a little in her giggles and Inari just guffawed.

"Sensational sissy! Yeah, she's a sissy, alright!" Inari laughed quite hard, that he was on the floor banging on the ground. Naruto just kept his stoic glance though.

"So you're a sensational sister, are you?" Naruto asked in a placid tone, which made the situation tense. "That means that you are one of the Gym Leaders… right?"

Violet regained her smirk, seeing as someone remembered who she was by her title. "Hmph! Why yes! I am one of the fabulous Gym Leaders, Violet! Since you personally insulted my personal pride….!" She dropped the smirk, which was replaced by a threatening glare. "I'll send a personal invitation to you, trainer! Tomorrow, at noon sharp, a Gym Battle between you and the sisters!"

"I'll be there. If I win, you hand the Badge over and apologize to these two!" Naruto declared, with no sign of wavering. Violet can only smirk at the declaration.

"Oh? Alright then, but if you lose, you'll have to be our bellboy servant for the rest of your life, trainer!" Violet declared her side of the bet. With those declarations, the situation became even tenser. It was almost as if you can cut through it like a knife through hot butter. It even made Inari shake a little. With that said after a minute of silence, the blue-haired teen turned sharply around and left.

Another minute passed and sighs of relief were heard. The tension was released as Misty and Inari just relaxed their muscles. Naruto and Chimchar didn't show it, but they relaxed as well as they turned to the downed girl Misty.

"You alright, Misty?" Naruto suddenly asked, having concern showing in his eyes rather than anger. It was something that surprised and saddened Misty, seeing how she threatened his Pokemon.

"Y-Yeah…" She replied, still a little scared but relieved as well. Naruto offered her a hand and she took it without hesitation. "Thanks, ummm…"

"Menma. Just call me Menma."

"Thank you… Menma."

"Wow! You were so cool!" Inari cheered, obviously ecstatic from what he saw. "You were like, 'KAPOW!' and the Seadra was like 'NOOOOOO!' and flew off!" He tried to animate the sound effects and the actions, which gave Naruto a small laugh. Especially when he was trying to animate the flying kick.

"Heh, thanks, uhhhh… your name?"

"Oh! I'm Inari Waterflower! I'm Misty's little bro!" Inari introduced himself to Naruto and the two shook hands. They were off to a great start.

"Well, I'm Menma. And over here is Chimchar." Naruto introduced his fake alias, as well as his Pokemon.

"Chimchar!" It cried out and gave a bow. Inari gave it a look of amazement, probably since he has never seen a Pokemon like that in Kanto before… or maybe he just hasn't heard of it.

"Chimchar?" Misty repeated, obviously confused. "I've never heard of a Pokemon like that in Kanto…"

"Well, it's because Chimchar is not native in Kanto." Menma answered.

"Oh! That's why…" Misty smiled, learning something new everyday. At that point, the ball released itself as a familiar shaped Duck Pokemon came out.

"Psy." It simply said as the Psyduck just stared towards Misty, who had her hand on her mouth.

"Psyduck…?" She asked, a little heartfelt. Not only did he come to her rescue, but he even returned Psyduck. She felt like crying as she hugged the poor confused duck tightly around its waist. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" She broke down, with tears flowing down. Obviously Psyduck was a little startled, but nevertheless wrapped its webbed hands around Misty. No one noticed this, but Naruto, Chimchar and Inari swore they saw a sunset behind them.

'_Huh? It shouldn't be this late, should it?'_ Naruto thought to himself, but shook his head. It almost reminded him of Gai-sensei's deadly sunset.

"Anyway, don't you think it's time for us to train, Chimchar? We got a big fight ahead of us!" Naruto asked in a determined manner. Chimchar replied with gusto, but before they began walking, Misty stopped them.

"Wait! Menma!" She cried out, which stopped them on their tracks.

"What's up, Misty?" Naruto turned around, seeing a smile on her face.

"C-Could we…?"

"Hey! Can we watch you train, Menma?!" Inari asked, interrupting Misty, which earned him a glare.

"Inari! What did I say about interrupting people?!" The orange-haired girl scolded the little boy, who looked crestfallen. But Menma just gave a chuckle.

"Of course!"

* * *

**(1) Yeah, they own a Tentacruel who can COOK RAMEN! It's amazing what the Pokemon world can do! I believe I got this from "Meet the Robinsons". You know, the Octopus waiter?  
**

**(2) Now you have noticed last chapter that Naruto was well-versed into making dumplings. He's better in making ramen, but the dumplings is also an alias. Only Sarutobi knows Naruto's love for both ramen and dumplings, but only the Konoha 10 knows that he only loves ramen. It's a cover, and this is how he was also chompin' on dumplings as well.**

**(3) I know that people are sick of cooking analogies and puns, but this is important in battles. Battling is kinda like cooking: it's not the results that matter, but the experience. Siebold taught me this. Also, sure you can learn a specific strategy to help you in battles, but it all depends on how you use it in battle. It may help you win, but it won't let you win. And you never know when it will fail spectacularly in your face. It's like Ash's countershield strategy in Fantina's Gm Battle. It helped him win against 2 of her Pokemon but it became obsolete when she adapted to it and nearly won.**

**(4) Huh... Damian's attitude reminds me of Ash for some reason.**

**(5) Pewter City and Mount Moon were nowhere near water, which had more limited grass and nature life, replaced with rocky foundations.**

**(6) Look, flashbacks are complicated. Just make your own conclusions before I make one myself.**

**(7) Psyduck's and Misty's relationship almost reminds me of a very young child to a parent. Psyduck may be absent-minded and distracted, but that's probably because it doesn't know any better. It probably sticks to Misty since it's like a mother and mothers tend to teach kids all the things in the world.**

**(8) You guys haven't seen this coming. Yeah they may have different genetics, but the Sensational sisters and Misty have different hair colours which bothered the hell out of me.**

**(9) I don't know how this was possible, but hey just roll with it.**

* * *

**Did you guys miss me? Of course you did! It's Irate here, and I bring you another chapter of The Failures' Journey! People have been asking me to do pairing after pairing, and let me tell you that Misty isn't pairing with Naruto. I said this last chapter and I'll say it again. It may be a love interest, but it's not a canon pairing. And yes other girls may become infatuated with him as well. Either I haven't touched on them yet or I have a plan for them already, since you guys gave me pretty good ideas.**

**So why did this give me a hard time? It was the interactions between Misty and Menma. This was hard for me to handle, since dialogue isn't my strong suit, but hey I'm getting there! If you guys think it's bad and I should feel bad, you can point out mistakes and I'll see whether or not I can fix them! **

**By the way, the Fire Pokemon poll is still up in my profile! Remember, the Pokemon with the LEAST votes will win! Don't like it? Get used to it!**

**Next time, we will have our Cerulean Gym Battle with Menma vs the Sensational Sisters!**

* * *

**Reviewer Responses: **

**NinjaFang1331: D'awww thanks!**

**withdrawnmadness000: Well, hope this chapter satisfies your cravings! Huehuehuehuehue!**

**Guest: I'm glad you enjoyed the fic! Yeah, I wanted to use Damian as an actual character in the story for a long time, so I hope it was up to your standards! Also for the Pokemon chosen, I'm glad you're picking up on the trend. This is The Failures' Journey, not the Godlike Trainer's Journey or the Have-Everthing-Rare Journey. He'll have a type that Naruto's worried about, so don't worry. Plus, I've already decided on the water type.**

**buterflypuss: You spelled your name wrong.**

**Bptex: Well a Water Pokemon has been decided (it's not Psyduck though) and I believe that I've already gotten a Psychic type thought up already.**

**mr: I dunno about Rock Lee. I'm lost as to how to incorporate him into the story. You'll just have to wait and see. Also, I always loved to respond to other people's critiques :3**

**narutoz8: Absolutely not. It's a Fire move and Chimchar can't use Fire. So much for that.**

**afi123: No there isn't. There's something called chi, which is very similar to aura, and that is how Chimchar can access the Eight Gates.**

**EddyxMarvoloxRiddle: I never saw Shizune as a Nurse Joy clone or anything like that. I don't know why... Hope you continue to enjoy it!**

**yindragonkiba: :D Glad you like!**


	9. Chapter 8 - Challenger

**The poll is done! I'm sorry if it took so long to come back! I just finished my summer job, and now I have down time! However, I still need to do my Let's Plays, so keep in touch! Anyway, here are the results! Don't forget! The one who has the least votes has won!  
**

**Magmar: 18**

**Charmander: 17**

**Vulpix: 15**

**Ponyta: 11**

**Flareon: 10**

**Growlithe: 9**

**And the winner is Growlithe! Expect him later though! This is the prelude before the actual Cerulean Gym fight, since I wanted to give you guys the story! It would have taken a larger portion of time to create it anyway!**

**Disclaimer: Haven't put this thing up in months! Pokemon or Naruto doesn't belong to me. This fic does though...**

**Question: What do you guys think of Misty so far? I was having trouble doing the dialogue for this, so I want to know! Give me your answers in the review!**

**Another question: Do you guys like having a flashback every beginning of the chapters?**

* * *

_**Swish… swish… swish…**_

"_That's it! Stroke stroke stroke breath, Bellsprout! Then ready your leaves and burst ahead!" Menma kept instructing with gusto as he swam backwards. The Flower Pokemon went stroke after stroke, using its leaves as shovels and its vine feet doing __**Vine Whip Kicks**__, which is easily picking up speed. Bellsprout, while a little scrawny and lacking a little bit of arm strength, was also very lithe. It was an advantage against large enemies and opponents who can't keep up with Bellsprout's impossible evasion. Not only that, with its form of a Grass type, it was very easy to float and swimming is a breeze for the Flower Pokemon._

_Chimchar kept doing a smooth front stroke, passing by Bellsprout. It had more experience with swimming since Gai-sensei has been doing that in their training with him. It was also a perplexing thing. Naruto, Gai and even Chimchar knew that it was a Fire type before, but the Chimp did not hesitate to dive into the water to learn swimming before. It could remember how… baffled sensei was when they began to swim for the first time._

**.o0o.**

…

_Only the sound of wind and the chirping of Pidgeys echoed in the distance as two sets of human eyes looked towards a swimming Fire type in shock. The Chimp, however, was oblivious to the water, until…_

"_Char?"_

_It muttered out in confusion and with a hint of fear from doing something wrong, seeing two looks of disbelief from Naruto Uzumaki and Maito Gai, their mouths agape and eyes the size of dinnerplates._

"_Umm… Chimchar?" Naruto voiced out his concern first. "A-Aren't you a Fire type?" Gai had the same thought has he stiffly nodded. Chimchar could only answer with a nod, then tilted its head because of the dumbfounded expressions._

"_Chimchar…" Gai can only say in disbelief. One could think that a regular somebody would just back away and not want to think of the imbalance of nature itself, or get rid of the abomination who would dare defile the balance of nature and natural selection._

_However, Gai wasn't a… "regular" somebody._

"_Outstanding… AMAZING!" He began to smile widely and happy streams of tears were beginning to fall dramatically, which made Naruto's jaw drop. He then swooped up Chimchar's small body and swung it around and around, almost creating a miniature whirlpool. "Not even the water can harm the fire type Chimchar! I can't believe my eyes! Not even water can extinguish the flames of youth! It's IMPECCABLE!"_

_Gai's 'flames of youth' meter just went off the charts as he kept spinning around faster and faster, with Chimchar crying for help. However, one could say that a joyous cause like this can create a terrible effect. The water around guy began to spin along with the force of Gai itself._

"_Uhh, Gai-sensei?!" Naruto tried to get the bowl-cut man's attention, but he was so into spinning in joy that the whirlpool underneath suddenly became a torrent that a Gyarados can be proud of. The wind picked up and almost spun in a __**Hurricane**__ that only a Dragonite can be jealous of._

"_FLAMES OF YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOUTH!" It was the last thing Naruto heard before the torrent suddenly arose into a fiercesome __**Twister**__ of whirling water, with Gai and an already queasy Chimchar in the center. The house-sized __**Twister**__ tore away most leaves from a few trees and Naruto and Chimchar was flung into the air. It was at that day that both blond human and Chimp Pokemon heard Gai dubbed his pseudo-natural disaster: The __**Springtime Monsoon. **_**(1)**

**.o0o.**

_Chimchar shivered a little at the flashback. The __**Springtime Monsoon**__ was something Gai would sometimes do whenever Naruto or itself would discover or do something amazing. While they tried to settle for being… half as amazing, that would only hold back their potential._

_Right at that moment, a splash of water rippled at the side of the Chimp's face. It looked to the side and saw the familiar yellow flower Bellsprout swimming quite quickly, with Naruto cheering on the sides. Chimchar then knew that it wasn't the time to slack off, and began to flip and do the front crawl, hoping that Bellsprout won't outpace it._

_After five more minutes of swimming all three of them jumped out of the shores. On the sidelines, Misty and Inari watched, munching on riceballs, the three began working on what seems to be a spar between two Pokemon. "Wow…" The orange-haired girl let the word fall out of her mouth. She couldn't help but be fascinated by the amount of vigour, power and overall confidence the two generated with every punch and kick meeting each other._

"_Amazed, aren't you?"_

_A voice from the right caught the siblings in surprise, but they didn't jump they recognized who the voice belonged to. They turned around to Menma, with damp black hair and his cloak a little soaked. He walked up to the pair and sat down on the ground beside them. Misty kept looking at Menma who was smiling back at her, while Inari turned back to watch the intense spar._

"_Wow… they look so strong…" Inari commented, mesmerized by the fast-paced spar that was occurring._

"_Yeah. They grew strong really quickly." Menma nodded along with Inari's compliment._

"_But… how did they become strong?" Inari asked mesmerized, as he could not help satisfying his curiosity._

"_You just have to remember two things in training, Inari." The black-haired trainer stood up. It almost painted a picture of a leader giving heartfelt advice to a young cadet in the windy sunset. "Never stop training yourself and your Pokemon to the brink…" He paused, indicating that it was the first advice as he continued watching. _

_At the same time, Chimchar used both hands to block an overhead __**Vine Whip Kick **__from Bellsprout who began unleashing a flurry of those attacks, almost looking like afterimages. Even though Chimchar dodged them with some much needed effort, a few of them still hit its mark on the Chimp's arms. However, it didn't hiss in pain, but instead it smiled, knowing that it got some more accurate hits compared to the last spar. Chimchar swiped back at the Bellsprout and used a __**Focus Enhanced**__ palm to strike at the abdomen, but using its thin, wavy body, Bellsprout was able to quickly get away. Now it was Chimchar's turn unleash its fury, unleashing punch, hook, jab, kick and swipe it could, and Bellsprout was able to dodge almost every single one. Even if it was a little slower than Bellsprout, one hit could spell doom for Bellsprout. It became evident when Chimchar landed a solid jab on the Flower Pokemon's stomach area, causing it to fly and crash. However, if it was able to get up immediately, albeit close to lurching a little._

"_Chim chimchar…" Chimchar advised, saying that Bellsprout could always use its __**Vine Whip Kicks**__ to knock aside some of Chimchar's attacks. Even if it was a little risky and slower, it would have caught the opponent off guard. Bellsprout straightened up and nodded and charged again, with the intent to spar._

"_Huh? You mean to train them even when they're exhausted?" Inari asked._

"_No way! That isn't how you train, is it? That's… like slave labour!" Misty interjected, shocked by the advice she heard. Granted, it probably wasn't the full story, but to translate it to something like that… It would be the sign of a Trainer who wants their Pokemon to be fighting machines._

"_It's not just that, you two." Menma quickly interrupted. "There's more to that then just training your Pokemon to the brink." Misty and Inari just stared, waiting for him to go on. "What I meant was, 'Never stop training yourself AND your Pokemon to the brink.'" Menma repeated, causing eyebrows to raise. "You must show your determination to your Pokemon by training with them." He turned his head to Misty and asked his question. "You swim with your Pokemon, right? You help them swim and adapt right?"_

_Misty nodded, now understanding what the boy was saying. "Oh! Now I get it! You mean you have to train with them in order to help them reach their potential, right?" She answered intelligently, which earned a nod from Menma. _

"_That's right. It's also to show that you are willing to go past your limits with them." Menma added. Misty smiled, knowing what she was doing was the right thing to become a greater Trainer. "We all train together, have fun together, sweat together, get hurt together, and make our own ramen together… That's why Chimchar and Bellsprout are so strong… through hard work."_

"_No kidding…" Inari replied in awe._

"_And my second piece of advice: 'Talent can win battles, but hard work and teamwork can win the Pokemon League.'" Menma quoted his belief. "What I mean is that one who has worked hard and strong can definitely beat someone with talent especially someone who hasn't even practiced their talent."_

_Misty was about to interject, but Menma stopped her. "Misty, your sisters… have they trained their Pokemon?" Misty nodded, but Menma wasn't convinced. "I meant battling… not just practicing their synchronized swimming."_

"_Well…" She hung onto her initial answer on the tip of her tongue before stopping to a stall. It felt like it was a definite yes due to their talents, but now that she thought about it… she hasn't seen them train a lot. They would just hang around in the pool practicing their Sensational Sisters routine, work on their image and on occasion play and take care of their Pokemon. But other than that… "Not really… I only watch them from the standees, but they just practice their acts and their swimming with other Pokemon. I don't remember any battling practices…" Misty answered, sure with her answer, since she always watches them whenever she was urged to be part of her sisters' troupe and to learn their techniques._

"_I see… so they're narcissists…"_

"_You don't have to tell me twice." Misty gave a small grim chuckle, laughing at the fact that if she followed her sisters' paths, and then she would have ended up as a total loser._

"_Do you ever win your battles against them?" He asked, wanting to know more._

"_No… I always battled, but my Pokemon never won." She replied, a little melancholy about her past._

"_Really. Other than Psyduck, what other Pokemon do you have?"_

"_A Goldeen and a Staryu. They've been with me since I was a child." Misty told Menma with a bit of pride. It was like showing off medals of honour on your chest, which Menma smile a little and stifle a small snort. _

"_Ah alright." Menma nodded along. "I'm guessing they used more evolved Pokemon right?" He continued his question, obviously referencing to the Seadra that Chimchar kicked._

"_Yeah…"_

"_Then it makes sense that they're a bit more powerful than yours. Besides, they have more experience and talent. However, that doesn't mean that they have any hard work to use their talents to get stronger. Instead, it atrophied." Menma summed up, having Misty finally see the connection. It widened her eyes in realization. "In a few years, if you worked and trained hard with your Pokemon, then there is no doubt that you will beat them." He encouraged, having a charming smile on her face._

"…"

_Misty was indeed silent, mulling over those facts. Sure, it was hard that she lost to them multiple times, but it was because they were older. Elder siblings were supposed to beat the younger siblings, right? It was also because they used more powerful Pokemon. It doesn't mean that the sisters themselves are stronger…_

'_He's right…! I'll be strong!' She cheered herself up in her thoughts as she looked back towards Menma's face. Her face was determined, almost having an inner fire quenching the frozen fear inside of her heart. "Thank you…" She simply said. It was a phrase that didn't need any more words._

_Menma was satisfied with her answer and looked back at the spar. Apparently, it ended with Chimchar being the winner, but that didn't mean that the Chimp was left with a few scrapes of its own. Now, both of them plus Inari were happily playing with each other, eating dumplings and the sort. Misty was giggling at the sight, while Menma only had a heartfelt smile on his face._

'_That's right… We will win! After all…'_

**.o0o.**

'…_hard work will always prevail over geniuses… Isn't that right, Gai-sensei?'_

**.o0o.**

It was finally time. A confident yet calm Naruto was currently standing in front of the large Gym. It was decorated in a large stadium, complete with a red and yellow roof with windows on the side. Pillars of swirling blue and white, normally seen in a salon, were stationed all around the edges to support the large heavy roof. On the front was a large picture of a Dewgong, overtop a border that represented waves of an ocean. Chimchar stood on its shoulder, its steely eyes focused on the door of the Gym, awaiting what awaits inside.

Behind the duo, Misty nervously had her right hand balled into a fist. It gave her some bad memories since she hasn't visited this place in a while. It would have worsened if Inari didn't grab her hand.

"Sis…" He softly said, holding her hand firmly, but gently. This calmed Misty down. It made her ready to face her inner demons. As soon as they began to walk towards the door however, they were stopped by a voice.

"Misty…" A breathless voice from behind them stopped them. All four heads turned around to see a woman with aquamarine hair and wide onyx eyes. Pale skin adorned her surprised face as her womanly form began to tremble a little. She was also wearing a blue skirt, blue flats and a pink shirt that had a red collar and red sleeve ends.

Naruto was confused at first, but then thought that this woman here was related to Misty in some way, perhaps as a mother (even though they didn't look like it). Chimchar had the same train of thought, and in the end, both of them continued walking. They couldn't deal nor interrupt this family moment.

"Mama…" Inari said. His feet however did not try to approach the woman. He just clung onto Misty's hand, knowing that she's barely holding onto her own sanity.

Misty just continued to stare blankly, almost glaring, towards the woman, her mother, almost like an object of hatred. It made her mother cringe a little. However, what was next said nearly made the blue-haired mother crumble.

"What do you want… Tsunami…?" **(2)**

That question alone nearly made Tsunami's knees weak. She knew she wasn't supposed to show her weak side in front of two of her children, but she couldn't help it as glistening tears began to fall. Inari could say nothing from the exchange, although he was expecting an outburst from his sis. However, Misty's own rage began to quell as she took a breath. Instead of the object of hatred, in front of her was a stranger, crying over something she lost. After one last look, Misty grabbed Inari's hand and continued to follow Menma towards the Gym doors. Tsunami however gave in, and dropped to her knees crying in her hands. One last thought rang in her head as she watched Misty and Inari getting smaller and smaller in her blurred point of view.

'I'm sorry… it's… all my fault… for forcing you into this…'

**.o0o.**

Menma thought the stadium Gym was big outside, but indoors was a whole other story. The first thing he noted was the large pool, with seven platforms scattered around the area, in order to accommodate both Water Pokemon and the other Pokemon that can't swim. The room was a dim blue, with two large signs of different Pokemon: a purple ten-pointed star known as a Starmie, and a blue and white tadpole Pokemon known as a Poliwag. Both of them were divided by multiple green lines. In the center of the wall was a door and three large orange diving boards were on the other side of the pool. Way up on the sides of the arena were bleachers. Sitting on those stands were approximately two hundred people, talking, cheering or outright staring at him, seeing that he's the competitor or not. Some of the women had their arms crossed and were glaring at him, while the men scowled. He was nothing compared to the Sensational Sisters, that's for sure.

However, only a few gasps and shouts were heard from the audience.

"Menma?! He's fighting the sisters?!" Sasuke snapped as his eyes darted at the black-haired boy and his Chimchar. "Damn me! He got first pick!" He gripped the bars as if he would bend them and tie them into a knot any second.

"Ugh… One minute he was whining about why he had to come here, and now look at him… It's troublesome, alright…" Shikamaru laid his head on the railing, obviously not into the whole theatrics of the sisters. Sure, it **could** be fun, but that can only happen one in a blue moon for a Nara like him.

"Well, he was the only one that did not know that it was both a water show and a Gym."Chouji pointed out, making Shikamaru smile a little.

"Yeah. Still, it's almost easy to believe how much Sasuke switches his mood and focus… Dunno if it's good for his psyche. Plus, it's got Neji and Kiba quiet too." Shikamaru commented, nudging his eyes towards the other two beside Sasuke, obviously fully concentrated.

"So… he's come about again… I wonder what fate has in store for him." Neji muttered to himself, with his usual stoic face eyeing Menma; calm, but analyzing.

"Yeah! I gotta know what the competition is before I face them!" Kiba agreed with a confident, but surprisingly subdued voice, which made some of the Konoha 10 raise their eyebrows. But not two of the girls eyeing Sasuke.

"Sasuke… he looks so cool when he's concentrated…!" Sakura was wooed by the cool demeanor of the boy's analytical stare towards the black-haired boy.

"Aw cmon! He focuses on a boy who whooped his ass, but never pays attentions to me…!" Ino seethed inwardly, but she can only give a sigh of contempt. Secretly, while she was indifferent to Menma, the boy who rescued them in Mt. Moon, she secretly harbored a dislike towards him due to stealing Sasuke's attention away.

Little did she know that boys will be boys after all. **(3)**

'_It's him… Menma…!'_ Hinata stared at the very top seat of the bleachers, seeing the tiny figure of the black-coated figure. Her hand trembled a little when she saw him, almost like a faint memory creeping up behind her.

"Oh wow, is that the kid the Sisters are going to humiliate? Bah!" One of the female audience members sucked her teeth in disgust. "It's already a no-contest! The Sisters are going to win of course!"

"Huh… no kidding." Another replied, almost not caring about the results being in their idols' favour. "At least the kid is cute~." She gossiped with a smile on her face, imagining the boy in a waiter suit or a Mankey suit in public humiliation.

Hinata closed her fist in anger from hearing that. After everything that Menma has done, people would think badly of him? It was also the behaviour of the fans that bugged her too. Hearing them hoping that Menma would lose made her furious for some reason. The memories that kept coming up were bothering her, but she could not help but think of Menma's well-being. At that point however, she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"It's best not to listen to them, Hinata." Shino advised, his sunglasses shining a little in the stage lights. His calm voice reassured Hinata that everything's going to be fine.

"Shino…"

"You know that… Well, we ALL know that Menma can take on these sisters and win." Shino reminded Hinata as he turned his head back towards the arena, his eyes on Menma. "If he can beat one of the leaders of what they call themselves Team Sound, then logic dictates that Menma will win. No questions asked."

"…" Hinata was silent after hearing the words of Shino, then nodded. "Yes. You're right. Menma won't give up that easily!" She finalized with confidence then snapped her head back at the arena, anticipating the match to start. She didn't notice the small smile on Shino's face. Meanwhile on another part of the bleachers…

"Wow… Menma looks confident, all right." Damian commented, a little nervous on how the battle is going to go. He was also training for the Gym as well, thinking that Fearow won't be enough to fight the sisters. It _was _three heads versus your own, so one Pokemon shouldn't enough to suffice.

"I can tell. He was ruthless when he fought Neji, but I don't know about the Gym Leaders though…" Tenten muttered breathlessly, putting her head down. Her hands on her lap tightly grasping each other nervously. Sure Menma could fight off Neji, but we're talking about professionals here! "And also, it's three versus one! I-I…"

"He can do it."

"Huh?" It was what Tenten heard before she snapped up and looked at Damian, with his concentrated face.

"He can do it. I know he can." Damian said with finality. Tenten thought he was crazy until she looked at Menma.

"You really look up to him too much…" Tenten responded, sighing. "Things change way too fast…" She looked at Damian who was concentrated on the arena. Then she shrugged and looked the same way he was looking at. It was at that time when the lights began to dim and drums began to roll.

'_Ugh are they really doing this? They really are self-centered…'_ Naruto rolled his eyes as he watched the arena began to spin their spotlights. Chimchar just tilted its head. It never seen this before.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" A mysterious announcer called out in the speakers, grabbing everyone's attentions. The spotlights then converged onto three specific areas of the pool, which was right at the diving areas of the three diving boards. "You've been waiting for this for a long time! I give you…. THE SENSAAAAAAAAAAAAAATIONAL SISTERS!" He jovially announced as suddenly three large geysers of water came out of the pool. The people were taken by surprise as three figures were distinguishable as they came out of the geysers, revealing three shadows.

The people were amazed as they saw a Seadra, a Warturtle and a green amphibian Pokemon known as a Politoad gushing the water upwards. The lights from the spotlights made it all the more beautiful as the three figures revealed themselves, stepping up on the diving boards.

"VIOLET!" The blunette on Naruto's left yelled with pizazz as she turned around, revealing herself in a green one-piece swimsuit with an orange crest just near the edge of the top. She also had a frilly waistline on the bottom of the one-piece. Her wavy blue hair and ruby eyes were able to woo the audience.

"LILY!" The pinkette on the right proclaimed with dazzle. She turned around appealing to the audience with her attire. It was also the same one-piece as Violet's, but it was an orange one, with red bows adorned on the bottom of the frills. There was also a big red bow on the chest area as well. Her pink hair (which shorter than Violet's, it's still plenty long), blue eyes and smile appealed to the audience.

"AAAAAND…. DAISY!" The final figure revealed herself, which is someone Naruto hasn't seen before, and assumed she was the eldest sister of the Sensational Sissies. Her outfit, much like the other two, has the same design with a scarlet colour with no decals. Her long blonde hair and green emerald eyes easily made the audience cheer. "AND TOGETHER WE ARE….!"

"THE SENSATIONAL SISTERS!" The three of them cheered as water began to spout out again as they waved to the cheering audience. The droplets reflected by the spotlights made it even more dazzling and beautiful. The ladies all had stars and hearts of admiration, while the men's hearts were of longing. The cheers they let out were really stretching the sisters' egos. But as they were relishing in the cheers, they spotted their opponent and possible future bellboy, and they smirked.

"Thank you all for coming to our show today!" Violet yelled, earning her more cheers. She then turned to Menma, with her eyes and smile changing slightly, almost darkening a little. "For today's event, there will be a battle against us!"

"That's right! The three of us, your favourite Gym Leaders of Cerulean, against this little runt here!" Daisy announced, nearly snarling at the tail end of the sentence as she eyed Menma, who was glaring back. He dare make fun of the Sensational Sisters?! Violet also had a smidgen of that sinister aura as well.

Lily, however, didn't glare at Menma for some reason. In fact, she only had a ditzy and bubbly attitude on the outside. "Please welcome, Menma!" Lily announced, in a happy tone, which, in contrast to the other two sisters, was a surprise to Menma. All the spotlights then shined on the black-haired boy, which was followed by a mixed reaction.

"Wow! He actually looks kinda cool!"

"That wimp can't win! Beat him up, sisters!"

"This boy's got guts! I'll give him that!"

"Get off the stage!"

"Go Menma! Beat the sisters!"

It wasn't surprising to hear the negative jeers, but the positive cheers made him raise an eyebrow. _'I didn't expect that one… But one thing is for sure… I will beat them!'_ He thought to himself, as he eyed the three sisters. Violet and Daisy, however, was glaring at Lily, who wasn't even fazed.

"Anyway, we're going to make this battle even more interesting!" Violet added, making Menma raise an eyebrow. "If the runt here loses-."

"I have a name you know!"

"-then he'll be serving as a bellboy for the rest of his pathetic miserable life!" Violet smirked as the cheers and jeers intensified.

"What? They can't do this!" Shikamaru had a disgusted look on his face as he heard the dark deal mentioned by Violet. He knew he was just being a critic, but isn't that stuff illegal?

"That's kinda harsh…" Chouji had a bewildered expression from that. It wasn't always that Shikamaru would react like that, and the reaction in itself was reasonable. It wasn't always that Shikamaru would react like that, so the reaction in itself was reasonable.

Menma couldn't tell which cheer or jeer is for who, but he wasn't fazed at all. Something that irritated Violet.

"Is that so?! Then that means that you're in one hell of a beatdown!" Menma declared fiercely. "Don't forget my side of the deal! If I win, you'll ha-!"

"Yeah yeah, we know!" Violet interrupted him. "We have to… _apologize_, right?"

"Not just that!" Menma interjected with a smirk. Chimchar just looked at him strangely, which the sisters raised an eyebrow.

"Oh?" Daisy asked, mildly interested. They weren't prepared for what came next.

"You'll have to resign as Gym Leaders of Cerulean City!"

Instantly, the whole Gym was silent. The audience members was surprised, with their wide eyes as big as dinnerplates. The sisters had the most baffled expressions, with their mouth hanging open and their forms shaking in dread. Chimchar was also surprised as well, seeing how much of a demand his trainer was calling for.

"Y-You…! Are you crazy?!" Daisy sputtered, nearly falling off the diving board. "That's way too big of a demand!"

"Hey! I put my reputation on the line, you do it too!" Naruto responded with finality. "Or was it the truth that you truly are the Sensational Sissies?! Hahaha!" He laughed mockingly. For the ones who heard the insult, thy chuckled too, which made Violet's face red with anger.

"Why you-!"

"Deal."

Again, dead silence. Of all the ones who agreed, Lily had a serious face on as she said that word. Her sisters looking at her with anger and betrayal. Menma and Chimchar's eyes widening. The audience…

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAT?!" …going nuts.

"Lily, what are you doing?!" Daisy demanded an answer, but Lily ignored her. Seeing this side of her… her rare serious side… certainly was a culture shock.

"You heard me, Menma. If we lose, we will give up our Gym Leader careers, our Sensational Sisters team, apologize to our youngest, and give you the badge." Lily said, solidifying the bet. It was quite the large one too, considering what is at stake for both parties, whether agreeing or disagreeing.

"A deal's a deal, Lily." Menma replied with a smile. Lily may actually be the only sibling other than Inari who cares for Misty. That's a plus in his books. The audience members was certainly surprised by this predicament, and cheered otherwise. No one knew who was cheering for who, but at least they were excited for a match.

"Ergh…!" Violet shook in anger as she brought out a Pokeball. "Fine then! Let's see you be the knight in shining armor! Seadra, center stage!" She cried out, chucking a Pokeball towards the arena. In a flash of light, a prickly blue seahorse Pokemon Seadra appeared out of water, standing on its tail. Menma looked at it and recognized it as the same Seadra Chimchar kicked away, as it looked at him in anger.

"Sea! Seadra!" It cried out, trembling with anger.

"Is that so?" Menma snidely said. "If I'm the knight, then that means you're the little green monsters I have to slay! Ooooh! I'm so scared!" He insulted them, which made them screech in anger. "Bellsprout, you know what to do!" Menma called, as he threw his Pokeball out. Out came the flower Pokemon raring to go.

"Are you both ready?" A ref said, who appeared out of nowhere. Violet nodded and glared at Menma, while Menma just nodded and looked towards the arena. "Then… BEGIN!"

**SLAM!**

One attack… the sound echoed throughout the arena, as they saw Seadra flying up, as a target for Bellsprout's **Vine Whip Kick** aimed upwards. The Seadra then landed in the water thankfully. It certainly wasn't defeated yet, but man did that hurt and was that fast! Violet was especially shellshocked by what happened in a blink of an eye, as was Daisy and Lily. Menma however kept his dreadful gaze towards the arena and on the sisters, which frightened them to no end.

It wasn't the angered glare that Menma had 5 minutes ago, but… this was the eyes of a battler. One who has trained vigorously to achieve such a level…

It was the eyes of a Trainer with the intent to win.

**OMAKE**

_"Amazed, aren't you?" Menma said as he joined both Misty and Inari munching on lunch._

_"Yeah! They're so strong!" Inari muttered, obviously awestruck. Misty was about to ask something, but then she remembered that he was a friendly guest_

_"By the way, here!" Misty offered Menma a token of appreciation. "Have a doughnut!_ **(4)**_ It always cheers me up!" She said with a smile on her face. She has made it herself, pouring a lot of time into making them. However, she was only met with silence and a dumbfounded, confused face._

_"Doughnut?" Menma muttered, looking at the doughnut in front of him. The doughnut in question wasn't made of dough, but instead, with rice. A piece of paper seaweed held the 'doughnut' together and he could feel the filling inside. "This is a doughnut?" He asked. _

_"Yeah! Never seen one before, Menma?" Inari asked, before digging in. Rice and bits of pulled pork was on his mouth before he wiped it off. "Misty's doughnuts are great! Jelly-filled are my favorite! Nothing beats a jelly-filled doughnut!" Inari and Misty giggled at the face Menma was making, which was beginning to be even more confused._

_"W-What?! B-But I thought...!" He began, but something in his gut and heart told him not to say anything about the doughnuts. In the end, Menma shook his head. "I-It doesn't matter... I'll have my own lunch." _

_"Oh alright." Misty sadly replied, a little down, but due to the confusion Menma had on his face, it must've been pretty important if it involved doughnuts. She won't pry any more. "I'm curious though. What did you bring?"_

_"Me? Hehehe..." Naruto brought his box up and opened the lid, showing off his assortment of dumplings. "I got these!" He snickered at the amazed faces on Misty and Inari, but he did not expect what happened next._

_"Oh wow! Timbits!" Misty cried out as she grabbed one and chomped it. A euphoric expression was on her face as she savored every milla-second of it. "Oh man! They're delicious!"  
_

_"And you even got the jelly-filled ones!" Inari jovially burst into tears as he ate one. "It tastes like heaven...~"_

_That made Menma's expression drop like a 10 tonne boulder. It shattered his world in the past. The system tried to rebootover and over, but cannot due to the system failures. Ayame... lied? Grandpa Teuchi... lied? Dumplings? Timbits?! _

_"HUUUUUHHHHHHH?!"_

_And it was at that moment where Naruto felt... that life wasn't worth living._

* * *

**(1) A reference to Gaworare, with the Friendship Tornado.  
**

**(2) OH SNAP!**

**(3) I'm sorry if I'm only having the Konoha 10 acting only as side characters for now. I promise they'll be more in-depth. But please promise me you'll bear with me!**

**(4) Is it donut or doughnut? Computer is saying that donut is incorrect.**

* * *

**Hey guys! Irate here! Giving you chapters and making you irate! I have a new chapter, but I'm sorry if it wasn't the fight. At least I gave you guys an omake! Be happy about that!  
**

**Anyway, I'm glad this story is getting really good results! Either that or I'm attracting a niche. Oh well. The thing that bothered me most is the dialogue of the sisters. It's kind of hard to write one-dimensional characters, so in the next ones, I'll flesh them out!**

**I'm sorry if any one of you expected a Pokemon other than Growlithe to be the winner of the poll. If people don't like it, then I'll see if I can make up a scenario for it. Also, I figured out what Water type and Psychic type I'm having. If you want to suggest other Pokemon, feel free, because I'm drawing a blank at the moment.**

**One last thing, while I appreciate reviews, I won't respond to reviews such as buterfly's. Make sure it is at least meaningful, because you're showing your appreciation. By Meaningful, I mean more than 5 words.**

* * *

**Review Responses:**

**grimreaper40045: Chimchar ain't evolving. It's just like Ash's Pikachu. I'll spoil it now: it's due to the deficiency it has. Also, I'm not spoiling whether or not it has Iron Fist or Blaze. ;) It's a secret to everybody, and I'll surprise everybody. Trust me!**

**mr: To answer your question, Bellsprout is more influenced on speed and attack. A glass cannon if you will. Yeah it has shit defenses, but focusing on dodging and agility to avoid attacks will help. Also, block and kicking away attacks with Vine Whip Kicks is its main way of defending. Also, sorry that I didn't do the Gym Battle yet. It would have taken too long.**

**NinjaFang1331: Chimchar isn't evolving. Read grimreaper40045's review. Thanks for your encouragement though.**

**withdranwnmadness000: Yeah Inari is her younger brother. I say this, because the Sensational sisters despite being blood-related, has different hair colours. And yes Tsunami, Tazuna and Kaiza will make an appearance (although it will be quite minor). I don't know about Gatou. He's tough to incorporate. Thanks for reviewing :3**

**Paradox009: Thanks bro!**

**Guest: You know... that's a really good idea. And you're welcome on the sunset! Also, I have HUGE plans for the Akatsuki, and it involves Naruto's family as well! I won't spoil any more!**

**Bptex: No problem, dude!**


	10. Chapter 9 - The Second Lesson Part 1

**I don't own Pokemon or Naruto. They belong to their respective owners. I'm not good with names, so let's just keep them as respective owners.**

**Now, I don't know what you guys are thinking. Or how you guys do stuff. However, the only thing that I don't want to know is how you guys think this fanfiction should go. I try to make this a little more complex than it should be. I don't do things because reason. I don't make any character one-dimensional because reasons. I don't make any character explicitly evil or a downright asshole because reasons. _There has to be an important reason for everything,_ and in this chapter, and in the next two, will be that. Plus battle scenes because everybody loves them.**

**Also, I would love to hear your ideas on two things:**

**1\. Should Naruto have more than just six Pokemon?**

**2\. What Pokemon do you think Naruto should have? Be reasonable in this category here, people!**

* * *

"_And that's a wrap for practice!"_

_The leader of the Sensational Sisters called out, as she walked along the poolside. Daisy got her Pokeballs out as she took them back inside in bright lights. Violet grabbed a towel as she brought her Pokemon back into their balls, smiling. Lily did the same, rubbing her hair with her pink towel. The three just finished practices for their new show that's coming in the next week._

_The Starlight Sensation, it's going to be called. It was going to be their biggest hit in Cerulean City!_

"_We're getting there. Next time's gonna be perfect!" The young Violet cheered enthusiastically._

"_Yeah! Just pivot a little more so you don't crash into me next time." Daisy pouted and glared at Violet, who sheepishly laughed._

"_Hey! I said I was sorry! I'll tell Seadra to aim a little to the right next time!"_

"_Why couldn't you tell it now?"_

"_Because it's tiring! That's why!"_

"_Alright alright fine! Anyway, let's go change! I need a trip to the salon!"_

"_Ooh! Good idea!"_

"_Um…wait." Lily tried to interject in their talk of pointing out their mistakes. Both of them looked at her, confused and wondered what she has to say. "Shouldn't we be teaching Misty?" As soon as the question rolled off her tongue, the two other swimmers gained a frown, marring their faces._

"_What? Why should we?" Violet suddenly barked out. "She's a runt. We can't have newbies in our troupe!"_

"_But we promised Mom to teach her, remember? She couldn't because she had Inari to take care of!" Lily snapped back at Violet, who flinched a little. Lily was never this abrasive towards their attitudes before. However, Violet does not back down from any argument._

"_Like I said, she's a runt! We can't teach her, because we have performances coming weekly now! We've been doing this for, like, forever!" She retorted in an uncaring way, her arms crossed, almost as if it was routine._

"_Since when did you start preaching that?!" The pinkette went up to her face and pointed a finger at her threateningly. "She's our sister, for Arceus's sake!"_

"_Listen, you! We worked hard for the Sensational Sisters to be at the top of our game for every show! You know how hard it is to maintain a contract, do you? We can't have a runt ruining it!"_

"_Contract? We have a contract?" Lily seemed shocked as she covered her gaping mouth. It was the first time hearing this. Daisy seemed to scratch her head as she walked up to the bickering duo._

"_Oh right, we didn't tell you, but we made a deal with a business guy and agreed to give us more money if we do more shows." She informed the still shocked pinkette. "Look… I want to continue our profession too, as much as Violet here. And I __**really**__ don't want little sis to ruin everything that we have worked hard for, alright?" The blonde girl said to Lily, almost a little threatening. Violet smirked at her victory over Lily, who was at a loss for words._

"_B-But, we're just 13 years old! We can't hold a contract! We're too young for that!" The pinkette used her final point, which made sense, considering that they were too young to handle finances correctly. Along with the stress of the show, they would burn out quickly. However, the opposition wasn't deterred._

"_Too young, my ass!" Violet retorted. "Isn't the year of consent for being a trainer 10 years old?"_

"_What?! That's hardly an excuse!"_

"_Not really. Old enough to battle, old enough to perform! It's the old saying, isn't it?"_

"_B-But this and that are different! Performing is much more different than battling!"_

"_No it's not!"_

"_Yes it is!"_

"_Are not!"_

"_Are too!"_

"_ARE NOT!"_

"_ARE TOO!"_

"_Okay enough!" Daisy couldn't take any more and turned around to Lily, obviously angry at the dissention between the two. "Look! The point is that we're trying to branch out and become the best, both in performance and in battling! Wasn't that what Mom aimed for? She wanted us to become the best there is __**together**__! And we can't have anybody slowing us down, whether it be Misty, our parents or even you!" She stated with authority that made even Lily wince a little. "Also, you aren't the leader of this troupe! I am, so you're not going to be hollering any of this to Mom, alright?" Daisy harshly pressed a firm finger on Lily's shoulder, the glare from her green eyes was enough to make Lily bow in submission and nod._

"_Yeeeeeah!"_ **(1)**_ Violet sneered in a harassing tone, clearly mocking Lily as the golden-swimsuit girl lowered her head.  
_

_"Violet, stop! Don't make it worse!" Daisy glared at her harshly, which made the vain bluenette stiffen._

"_W-We aren't training Misty?" Even though it was already mentioned, Lily was still shocked and appalled on how dismissive her two sisters were. Although Daisy adopted a face of guilt._

"_I'm sorry but... we can't." Daisy replied softly with a shake of her head. "I'm sorry Lily, but like I said, she's too young and she'll drag us down. We have a contract already, so we have to be perfect on stage. You wouldn't want her to mess up on stage and be booed off the stage, would you?"_

"_N-No…. I-I don't…" Lily had a hard time wrapping her head around it. It was a good point too. Misty was inexperienced. Not talented too. Sure she was applied… or rather forced… on the troupe by Tsunami, but that's hardly the point. If she performed sooner or later, she would not look good in the image of the Sensational Sisters. 'She would be the laughing stock!' She said with horror in her mind. "I can't believe it… You two… Why would you ditch family over swimming act?!"_

"_Face the facts, sis!" Violet hissed out, glaring at Lily, who was on the verge of tears. "We don't need her! Hell, it's likely that we'll never need her! She's a runt, I'm telling you! Why can't you get it in your thick head for once?!"_

"_Violet, enough!" Daisy snapped the spiteful bluenette, stopping her before she could make the situation even more worse. "Just leave her be, Violet. It isn't worth it…" That stopped the intensity, before Violet broke the gaze and huffed a minute later, then proceeded into the changeroom._

"_I need a salon trip…" Violet murmured as she ruffled her hair a little. It was the last thing she said before her voice in the changeroom became muffled. Stress would do that to a girl's hair after all._

_Lily just stood there silently, her head down in guilt and shame, while Daisy could only sigh. The blonde then brought her head, close to Lily's ear. "I'm sorry Lily… but I expect you to be at tomorrow's practice." She whispered, leaving no questions to be asked before going into the same changeroom, leaving the mostly silent Lily to herself, a single tear shedding down on her face._ **(2)**

_Not once did anyone ever notice the front doors opening and closing, and one little orange-haired girl running home, with tears streaming down her eyes._

**.o0o.**

One attack… the sound echoed throughout the arena, as they saw Seadra flying up, as a target for Bellsprout's **Vine Whip Kick** aimed upwards. The Seadra then landed in the water thankfully. It certainly wasn't defeated yet, but man did that hurt and was that fast! Violet was especially shellshocked by what happened in a blink of an eye, as was Daisy and Lily. Menma however kept his dreadful gaze towards the arena and on the sisters, which frightened them to no end.

It wasn't the angered glare that Menma had 5 minutes ago, but… this was the eyes of a battler. One who has trained vigorously to achieve such a level…

It was the eyes of a Trainer with the intent to win.

"Don't blink. You'll miss it!" Memna remarked to the crowd. "Knock'em down, Bellsprout!"

"Bell…!" In literally a blink of an eye, the plant Pokemon dashed into where the pained Seadra is in the air, and literally kicked it down, crashing into the waters. The audience was simply stunned at how fast the Bellsprout was. A weak, non-evolved Pokemon, beating the crap out of a fully evolved one.

"**Energy Ball**!" Menma commanded sharply, with Bellsprout charging a green ball of energy from its mouth, ready to fire. However, when the **Energy Ball** fired, a **Water Pulse** came out of the water and clashed into it. Both of the spherical attacks however, exploded. When Bellsprout landed on one of the floating platforms, it saw its opposition, the Seadra, winded, but still in the fight.

Violet still retained her wide-eyed shock, but shook her head. She underestimated the brat protecting the runt and now she's paying for it.

"You brat!" Violet screeched, close to losing her composure. "Seadra! Don't dally! Use **Dragon Pulse**!" With that command, Seadra reared its head and expanded its belly, ready to fire the powerful blue beam of draconic energy…

**WHAM!**

…if it can actually fire it.

"What?!" Violet cried out as she saw Bellsprout literally zoom at near impossible speeds and used its **Vine Whip Kick **to slam into the belly, bursting out the **Dragon Pulse **prematurely and in the wrong direction. The beam blasted the side of the pool, safely out of harm thankfully.

"Is that truly it, Violet? I expected you to be stronger than what you let on." Menma taunted the bluenette, who was growling at the intensity of the situation. While he was not one to taunt, Naruto was not in the mood, especially when he has to deal with trainers with the attitude of Tauros shit.

"Quiet you! I'm not through yet!" Violet shot back, her Seadra also taking in the anger. "Keep firing **Water Pulses**, Seadra!" Looking like her anger's taking over, Seadra continuously fired spheres of condensed water like a cannon towards the Bellsprout.

"Keep dodging, until you see an opening!" Menma commanded, which the yellow bell Pokemon followed suit, skillfully dodging each and every **Water Pulse** fired from the dragon Pokemon. Even with Seadra's **Sniper **ability and its careful and quick aim, Bellsprout is considerably way too lanky and thin to even hit, especially one this fast. The dodging irritated the Seadra and Violet even more, seeing tic marks for every **Water Pulse **missing or knocked away. It was at that moment when Menma's and Bellsprout's eyes flashed for a second.

"Now!" The black-haired boy called out, and Bellsprout, who landed on one of the pool platforms, immediately rocketed towards the Dragon Pokemon, readying a **Vine Whip**. Violet's eyes widened at the incoming attack, which has spelled her Pokemon's KO. However, the Seadra's eyes also glinted a little, having a plan of its own, with the trainer having no hint of it. **(3)**

"Seeeaaa… DRA!" The Dragon Pokemon suddenly puffed up and fired what looked like a quick **Smokescreen**, which exploded around itself and in front of Bellsprout. When the Flower Pokemon saw the Water-type launch the **Smokescreen**, it was about to stop, until it heard the command of its master.

"Don't stop! Keep going!" That was the command.

**WHOOSH!**

A gust of wind erupted from the arena. Those watching the arena had their mouths shaped in circles, awed by the fact that the heavy smoke was sliced in two horizontally before the smoke reacted to the wind violently and began to spread a little. Only Bellsprout was seen on the edge of the pool, wondering where the Seadra was. Menma narrowed his eyes, having a good idea where it went, while Violet stuttered a little, but smirked to mask her relief.

"Hah! You see? You may have gotten us there for a second, but that isn't going to help you!" Violet chided, almost in a mocking way. Her pride may have escalated but to Menma and to the ones who knew the cloaked boy better, her defeat in this battle is all but inevitable.

"Is that so?" Menma frowned, as he just watched a **Water Pulse **fire under the surface. It was fast too, so any regular Pokemon would have not been able to dodge, due to Seadra's **Sniper **ability being used to the fullest.

However, Bellsprout wasn't any regular Pokemon. To an almost unnatural degree, the plant Pokemon bent backwards, until its legs were bent to a curved 90 degree angle. Time slowed down for the Bellsprout, as the sphere, aiming for the upper body, just barely past right above its torso and big yellow head harmlessly.

The crowd was aweing the dodge, with wide eyes taking the dodge in their heads. Menma smiled at the dodge, obviously proud at Bellsprout for using its body to dodge even the most precise of hits, and Chimchar was cheering and raising its fist the whole time Bellsprout was fighting. However, the only one reacting negatively to this is Violet, who was shaking in disbelief and anger.

**.o0o.**

"D-Did you just see that?" Sakura asked in disbelief. Ino had her mouth agape this whole time watching, and she nodded shakily to Sakura's question. Many of the Konoha 10 were expecting Menma to win against the Gym Leader, but not to the extent of what they are watching.

"To watch Menma's skills up close instead of being on the receiving end of it… Truly it was fate that decreed for him to win against Violet, but using the trainer's anger against her…" Neji muttered breathlessly. He may have been unsurprised about the outcome, but to the extent of this? Truly a sight to behold.

"Whoa… It can't be… he can't be _this_ good, can he…?" Kiba also muttered, albeit more quieter and fixated. His head was leaning against the railing, his nose on top of it. Hinata was thinking along the same lines as well, leaving her breathless at the spectacle.

"Apparently he can, Kiba." Shino replied, while a little stoic in his four-word phrase, it carried a hint of surprise and acknowledgement. Kiba nearly yelped at the surprise entrance on the sunglasses kid.

"Umm… Shino, can you not-?"

"Don't worry, Kiba. I'm not one to do that…"

"Oh we-…"

"… all the time." With a hidden 'reassuring' smile, Shino went back to his seat. Kiba opted not to say a word, and quietly looked back at the smoke-dispersing, arena. Meanwhile, while all this is happening…

"Help! Help! I don't wanna fall!" Sasuke cried out, thankful to the two people holding him, preventing him from going over the railing, which was a storey or two high above poolside level by the way, and getting a closer look. The reason being: the guards wouldn't let him through the exit or down to the poolside. So the only way to understand the motions was to get a closer look. Apparently, after trying to get even closer, he nearly tipped over the edge.

"You idiot! You planning to jump down?! You're insane!" Damian said, pulling back the boy towards solid ground on the bleachers. Sasuke, while regretted going too far on the railings, fumed at not being able to see what he wanted to see up close. How that Bellsprout was able to dodge it.

"It didn't matter! I needed to know!" Sasuke retorted, any thankfulness for bringing him to safety has fizzled away, and left a grouch of a trainer pouting away. The raven-haired boy then went back to the railing and stared towards the arena, just like Kiba, except more intently. Damian was about to voice his concern, until he felt a warm hand on shoulder.

"Don't try, Damian. We tried to convince him otherwise, but… well…" Tenten only sighed at the attitude the Uchiha was displaying. Even after countless warnings, the boy never seemed to get it.

"He never learns, does he?" The blue haired preteen asked, with Tenten shaking her head. Both of them sat down and continued watching. Unbeknownst to them, a pinkette was watching them the whole time on the side. Her hand was gripping her dress and her eyes threatened to twitch. She blinked once and felt…

What did she feel?

She didn't know. It didn't matter now. Her head craned back to the arena, with a lingering thought while she felt.

'_Sasuke…'_

**.o0o.**

"Bellsprout! Get out of that smoke!" Menma commanded, noting that the pool edge wasn't the best spot to dodge attacks due to the lingering smoke, no matter how small. Plus the foul air probably wasn't healthy for the Grass Pokemon. Thankful for the command, Bellsprout dashed out of the cloud and onto the center platform of the pool. However, just as it landed, the Flower Pokemon began to lose its balance.

"Bell?!"

**BOOM!**

It wasn't a particularly large explosion, but from what Menma could tell, a large part of the platform was blasted into smithereens. From below, Seadra was blasting the platform with **Water Pulses**, hoping that the Bellsprout would fall into the water and drown.

**BOOM!**

"Hmph! It seems like your little Bellsprout's going to drown soon!" Violet haughtily taunted, almost to the point of a giggle. "Too bad your precious weed can't swim!"

"And I'm guessing this is _your_ strategy? Either it's a foolproof plan, or it wasn't your plan to begin with. Seems like your Seadra has other ideas, Violet!" Menma retorted, seeing the bluenette's smile drop. He smirked to himself, knowing he has hit right on the mark. The Seadra isn't as close as many would think. Instead of trusting Violet's words completely, it would follow up with its own strategy… which was strange. Wasn't the Seadra always with Violet? That would mean they both would have a good relationship with each other. Unless…

**BOOM!**

"Tsk! I'll think about it later!" **(4)** He said to himself, then turned his eyes back onto the battle, with Bellsprout still standing on the last quarter of the platform, almost tipping over. "Bellsprout! Take as much oxygen in and dive into the water! This fight's yours!" Menma commanded with such ferocity. The crowd gasped at his words, thinking that Menma probably went a little too far, while two of the sisters, Violet and Daisy, smirked at his "bad decision". Lily however widened their eyes from the audacity of his command. Chimchar however wasn't deterred at all, knowing that it has complete faith in the Flower Pokemon. Finally, Bellsprout widened its eyes as it knew what he meant from his last 3 words.

**.o0o.**

"_It's up to you this time! I may not be able to call commands, nor will I be able to see you! So this time, rely on yourself and your senses, and know that I'll always be here to help you!"_

**.o0o.**

It was time. It was time to shine. To finally let free the flames of power it so long has held in! Bellsprout nodded with determination and, after storing as much air into its body **(5)**, dove right into the water right before the last **Water Pulse** broke apart the platform.

**BOOM!**

"The stage is yours, friend…" Menma said to himself, having complete faith that Bellsprout will pull through, even deep in the environment of a Water-type predator. The stage suddenly became to murmur, with the crowd wanting to know what's going on.

**.o0o.**

Immediately in the pool water however, Bellsprout opened its eyes to search for any sign of Seadra. But with the dark depths of the deep pool, there was no sign. With no sight at all, the flower Pokemon began to panic.

**WHOOSH!**

A **Dragon Pulse** flew by, nearly clipping its head.

**WHOOSH!**

Another **Water Pulse **nearly got its legs.

It was at that point that the Grass-type began to flail around and let panic take over in overdrive. It was like food for the Sharpedos stranded with threat levels everywhere, and ominous music composed entirely in minor 2nds is playing. **(6)** It was almost ready to give up from the pressure until the words of Menma rang in its ear.

"_Rely on yourself and your senses… and know that I'll always be there to help you!"_

In that instant, Bellsprout began to close itself in. It stopped flailing and relaxed its vine-like limbs. Its eyes closed and the crowd's muffled murmuring was blocked out. Only the sound of flowing water remained. All it had to do was listen for a disturbance in the water…

**WHOOSH!**

…like now!

**SLAM!**

With an empowered **Vine Whip Kick**, the Bellsprout heard the rushing of a **Water Pulse** and kicked it as hard as it could from behind its head. The sphere of water then shot back, at twice the speed, towards its user, who cried out in gargled pain from the unexpected attack.

"DRAAA!"

This is it. Bellsprout cheered and now readied its leafy arms and with one strong thrust, it launched itself with the speed of a torpedo and as silent as the predator itself. Now the prey becomes the predator as Seadra, now that it shook off the attack, lost track of its prey.

It was not going to end prettily, as suddenly…!

**WHACK!**

A **Power Whip** to the head lashed out on Seadra's head. Recovering from it quickly, it opened its eyes to search for the perpetrator again, only to find nothing. The Dragon didn't see nothing, nor did it hear nothing. Seadra suddenly felt dread encompassing itself within its whole body, like someone out there was playing a 4/4 string ostinato in D minor. **(7)** It can only mean certain death.

**SLAM!**

Another **Vine Whip Kick** aimed at the stomach. However, this time the Seadra was not deterred, as it quickly turned around and saw the wretched Grass-type sailing by. It quickly turned around and fired probably one of the quickest **Water Pulses** it has ever fired. However where it was supposed to land on the Bellsprout actually went through its intended target.

Uh oh.

**KABOOM!**

The **Energy **Ball exploded on the Dragon, making it wince in pain badly. When Seadra saw, in pain that is, whoever launched the attack and was surprised at seeing TWO Bellsprouts in the fray. Confused at what it saw, the perpetrators darted away in the sea, it then felt pain in the back.

**WHACK!**

Now it saw three Bellsprouts darting all over the place. When they tried to strike, the Seadra tried to defend itself, but it only phased right through, like an illusion caused by **Double Team**.

**CRACK!**

Four.

**BANG!**

Five.

**SLAP!**

"Seeeaaaa…" It moaned in pain, watching all six Bellsprouts charge in. It couldn't take any more pain. The six Bellsprouts, all with green glowing vines that were about to run it through, was the last thing before darkness caught itself. **(8)**

**.o0o.**

The crowd was getting anxious, talking amongst themselves. Who knows what is happening underneath the dark depths of the pool. Menma was silently standing there, closing its eyes, while Chimchar was watching the shadowy figures underneath the sea. One could say that Menma was sleeping, but in reality, he was concretrating… listening to the sounds of the attacks underwater. Violet was smirking a little, showing off her confidence that her Seadra will clean the competition, but inwardly she was nervous.

"It's tense… What can be going on down there?" Damian asked to no one in particular. He watched as very blurry shadows underneath were tackling each other with whatever attacks they have. Anything can happen under there.

"I don't know… Whatever it is, I'm actually a little scared myself." Tenten pointed out, also a little nervous as she was trying hard to distinguish what was going on in the depths. The audience was murmuring to themselves on what is happening, and why Menma looks so calm right now. Is he regretting his decision?

"Huh…" Someone from the audience muttered. "It's kind of tense here… I don't know who's winning or not." It was actually one of the ladies in the audience who didn't care about both parties and also offhandedly commented on how cute Menma was.

"Really…" The girl right beside her all but snarled her reply, who was recognized as the fangirl for the Sensational Sisters. "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! The sisters will win! I just know so! I can feel it in my blood!" She cried out at her, almost to a maniacal standpoint as she was standing and towering over her friend's sitting form, judging from her twitching body and completely angry face. The fangirl was expecting things to go the way she expected it to… the Sisters' favour in battle. She expected the boy to be quivering, his Bellsprout to be a complete weakling, Violet to outright sweep him into submission.

At this point, many people were looking at her weirdly, and possibly a little scared from her… fanatic antics going into overdrive at this point. Her friend, now a little anxious from the way she has been acting, shook her head. "Sheesh calm down, won't ya? Besides, the match isn't over yet."

The girl snarled a little with twitchy eyes, almost being dared to do something. But the only thing she did was sit back down and huffed. The level-headed girl was right though. It's never over until it's over. However, once she said those words in her thoughts…

**SPLASH!**

"Look! Something came out!"

"What?! Where? It must be a Pokemon!"

Now, people expected the green Flower Pokemon to be flying up, curtesy of the blue Dragon Pokemon's thrashing under the sea. However what they saw was not what they expected.

"Wait… Bellsprouts aren't supposed to be blue!"

"Huh?! That's Seadra! And it looks all beaten up!"

"No way! That weedling actually beat it up?!"

There in the air was Seadra launched into the air, with bruises that was about as bad as a thrashing and a lashing. In their heads, usually a fully-evolved Pokemon beats a basic Pokemon, no matter their weakness.

Suddenly, another Pokemon launched itself upwards, towards the banged up Seadra. The Grass type did not look worse for wear, as it did not take a hit. Menma smiled with pride as he knew his faith on Bellsprout wasn't misplaced. Chimchar cheered its loudest as it saw the yellow bell Pokemon jump up like a dolphin.

On the opposition, Violet and Daisy had their jaws dropped, obviously not believing what they saw. They believed that since Seadra thrived on its turf, it would be able to destroy its opposition (if they weren't swimmers). They don't know how wrong they are. Lily, on the other hand, looked up in awe to where the Bellsprout was in the air. She too was had a tough time wrapping her head around the fact that a basic Pokemon beating a fully evolved one is baloney, but seeing the skills and acrobatic attacks that Bellsprout had, Lily just smiled.

'_Looks like my match would be tougher than I thought…' _She thought, with an excited smile on her face, hoping her battle wasn't a total faceroll.

No one who knew Menma personally knew how powerful his Pokemon were, so it was expected that they were blown away and unable to process the sheer power his Pokemon had. But they weren't done yet.

"Now Bellsprout! **Secret Move! (9)** Use your legs and wrap them around Seadra's neck!" Menma commanded, raising his hand. Bellsprout immediately used its legs and squeezed around Seadra's neck tightly, and began to spin downwards. The legs glowed green, almost like preparing for **Power Whips**, to reinforce the grip. Seadra's eyes bulged out in panic and pain.

"This fight's yours!" Menma finally let his words out. Hearing the phrase, Bellsprout nodded and dove downwards with Seadra in tow, almost turning a deep shade of purple. Some of the crowd members closed their eyes, hoping it wasn't going to be too rough.

**CRACKLE-SPLOOSH!**

With Seadra's head landing on a spare platform, the sheer weight and power derived from the special move that Bellsprout used was enough to break it into pieces. The pool water diverged and then came crashing back into forming a pillar of foaming water for a few seconds before rushing back down. The crowd looked to see only a few platforms still intact, while the Grass-type had a leg on the head of the Seadra, obviously fainted from the fainted blow to the head.

"Violet's Seadra is down! Bellsprout is the winner!" The ref called as he raised the flag on Menma's side.

"Yes!" Menma and Chimchar jumped up and cheered for their Grass-type friend's victory.

'_Great job, Bellsprout… You make me proud for your first Gym Battle.' _Naruto smiled proudly at his Bellsprout, who looked back and smiled proudly for the first time. Chimchar was jumping up and down, obviously awed at what Bellsprout could do. The audience finally found their voices and began chatting to each other, their concerns and cheers obviously mixed.

"Whoa… that was…"

"The Bellsprout won? Wow… that was so cool!"

"I guess the money truly is worth it."

"What?! No it wasn't! I came to see the sisters WIN!"

"Go Menma!"

Some cheering actually rang in the audience for Menma, but for the most part, murmurs were the only thing the audience was doing. A flash of red then landed on Seadra, obviously for Violet, who was steaming that she lost. Naruto crossed his arms, watching what was going to unfold. As Seadra disappeared into the Pokeball, the bluenette then tucked it back uncaringly, which made Naruto's eyes narrow.

"Tsk, figures… You won only because you had the type advantage." She waved off the defeat like it was yesterday's news. It was clear that she was more frustrated than that. "Plus, Seadra isn't a fighter at all! It's a performer, and should stay as such!" Some of the audience members, especially the trainers or anybody who had experience with Pokemon, gaped at the audacity of what she stated. Even Lily and Daisy looked a little shocked at what she's trying to say.

Menma felt anger rising from the pit of his stomach. This was something that Naruto absolutely hated, and that was anyone who actually badmouths or abuses Pokemon. "Seadra fought for you, battled for you, and you spit at its performace?!" Naruto snapped, pointing a finger at the huffing bluenette, clearly pissed at what she said. He couldn't help it. It was morally wrong for Pokemon to be treated like that and it was something Naruto would not tolerate. But before he or she could say any more, someone else interrupted him. And it was probably someone he did not expect.

"Violet!" The one beside the bluenette barked out. Violet turned to the owner and nearly flinched. Menma's eyes widened as well.

It was Daisy, giving her a frustrated and irritated glare.

"Y-Yes?" Violet meekly replied, which was a different side to her.

"Shut up." The blonde curtly said, with an annoyed glance, which made Violet ghastly pale. Something that baffled Naruto and the audience. For all this time, the raven-haired challenger knew that Violet truly lived up to the term 'bitch', even if it was only a short time. However, seeing this… this! It wasn't what he expected.

"Um…" Menma tried to say something, but nothing came out. Daisy only turned her head, back to Menma's direction, and shook her head.

'_Tsk… If she said any more, we would've been in big trouble. Violet has to watch what she says!'_ Daisy thought in her head as she stared at Menma. _'It wouldn't do well for the sales anyway.'_ At least it wasn't a total faceroll, for it wouldn't give the people an incentive to come back. "Right. That was the first match, against my weakling sister Violet. Don't think it ends here though." Daisy said curtly to Menma, with utter seriousness.

"It only gets harder from here. That's the path of a trainer." He replied back, both he and Bellsprout ready for another round. He knew it would be harder from here on out.

"That's right." The pink-haired girl Lily agreed as she walked forward on the diving platform. In her hand was a Pokeball. "It will get harder. I'm your next opponent!" Lily announced with a look of seriousness on her face. Naruto narrowed his eyes, but nodded. The crowd began to murmur in excitement, ready for another battle. "GO! STARMIE!" She called out, throwing her Pokeball and making it open with a brilliant flash of light. The light took form into the shape of a purple metallic ten-pointed star, with a red ruby with a cutting edge in a gold bordering. It almost looks like two stars put together.

"_HOH!"_ **(10)** It cried out, its star-shaped back spinning threateningly. Menma, this time, was a little unsure about Bellsprout fighting Starmie. It looked strong, so…

"Bellsprout, do you wanna fight this one?" The trainer asked, wondering if it was tired or in no shape to fight. Chimchar gave its own words, seeing if it wanted to keep going. However, their doubts disappeared when Bellsprout shook its head and stood its ground.

"Sprout!" It said, with its leafy arms raised up to its body, like it was going to box. It even threw out a few faux punches. Naruto can only beam and prepared his mind for the battle.

"Couldn't have said it better myself!"

"Is both sides ready?" The referee asked both sides, with nods from each of them. "Menma's Bellsprout versus Lily's Starmie! Begin!" He threw down his flag, and immediately Bellsprout dashed towards the opposition, ready for another **Vine Whip Kick**. However, Menma wasn't so sure about this approach.

"Bellsprout, wait!" He cried out, but was too late when he saw Lily narrow her eyes.

"Starmie! Use **Psychic**!" The pinkette cried out, with the Starmie immediately complying. The Mysterious Pokemon began to glow a light blue, giving off powerful psychic energies. Bellsprout was suddenly held in the air, struggling to move, as the same radiating blue energy constricted the Grass type. A pit formed in Menma, his breath hitching a little at the sight of a super-effective move on Bellsprout. The poor Grass type was then launched to the other side of the pool side with a crash into the water.

"Bellsprout!" Menma shouted, cringing at the power of the attack. There were some obvious cringes, but overall the fans were cheering for Lily. It was obvious who the one who trained the hardest was.

"Huh?! I never knew your Starmie had **Psychic**" Violet exclaimed, shocked to see Starmie perform said Psychic move, when it was not so strong before. For all the times the vain girl has seen Lily with Starmie, it never once performed even one Psychic move. "But… when…?"

"I found the time to. Simply put." The pinkette replied, without sparing an annoyed glance. It was obvious that she was annoyed already. Violet's blood ran a chill down her spine, but before she could comment on that, Bellsprout came out of the water. It looked pretty bad, considering that **Psychic **attack was super effective.

"Bellsprout, are you okay? Are you sure you can take Starmie down?" Menma softly asked, incredibly concerned for its well-being. He didn't want to send Bellsprout into a losing battle. However, the Grass/Poison type was stubborn about this.

"Bell!" It cried out, nodding to its trainer, although Menma was still hesitant.

"Chim Chimchar…!" Chimchar also tried to convince Bellsprout to withdraw for now, even more than Naruto. Bellsprout then turned its head, certainly resolved to do what it wants to do.

"Bell! Bellsprout! Bell… Bell Bellsprout!" Its eyes would have bored holes into the skulls of Naruto and Chimchar if it had laser vision. Now, Naruto was about to say another word, until the black-haired boy. His eyes wide as he looked into the black shining eyes of Bellsprout, filled with resolve and determination. It was then that Naruto understood…

"_I wish to prove myself against my superior foes…! For that human girl! For you!"_

That brought back a whole slew of memories from the past. His hand twitched in realization and his breath hitched, almost to the point of tears.

**.o0o.**

_"What is your _**_true_**_ goal, Naruto Uzumaki?"_

_"I fight… to prove that Chimchar is not a failure!"_

_"Chim! Chim Chimchar! Char Cha har Chimchar!"_

"_Chimchar… You… You'll fight for me?"_

_"You two… those goals…! You two… will become strong one day…! Now go! Time for you to start!"_

**.o0o.**

It was… a goal. Bellsprout's lifelong goal! It can't back down yet. So with a slow not and a slow stand, the crowd was silent, as Naruto waved his hand forcefully.

**.o0o.**

It has been only a minute when Lily's Starmie launched Menma's Bellsprout into the water with one powerful **Psychic **attack, and thirty seconds when Bellsprout hopped out of the water, looking a little devastated.

To everybody else, they couldn't hear what was going on between Menma and Bellsprout. It looked like a pep talk to get his Pokemon psyched up, but if Menma was smart, he wouldn't do that. A Psychic type against a Poison type? He would be no better than a failing student in school.

Everybody on the bleachers was murmuring to themselves on what's going on. Some were disquiet, murmuring to themselves on the sanity (or the cleverness) of Menma the trainer, while some were getting impatient, wanting the battle to go on.

**.o0o.**

Sasuke was trying his best to keep his composure. This match was getting interesting, with a Bellsprout, a weak Grass/Poison type who hasn't even evolved, taking on a Starmie, a strong Water/Psychic type who has evolved. However, Menma… he doesn't exactly know what this guy is capable of, only getting a taste of it back in Pewter when he shoved his boot up the white-eyed prick's ass.

"What are you capable of…?" Sasuke asked to Menma, even though it was a murmur. It was probably more for himself though…

"Hey Sasuk-!"

"No."

"WA~~~! SASUKE! DON'T SHOOT DOWN MY DATE OFFER LIKE THAT~!" Ino cried out, a little sad that she was turned down immediately like that. True she only asked because she was impatient that the match looked like it was grinded into a halt (even though it's only been like a minute and fifteen seconds). But it was the perfect time to ask!

However, it was the only voice that echoed on her side of the bleachers, some watchers turned to her, obviously confused to what she was wailing about. The platinum blonde only scrunched her shoulders and blushed.

"Ehe…. It's nothing! I swear!" She quickly reassured the people, sat back down and breathed a sigh of relief.

**.o0o.**

"Wait… what's going on?" Sakura asked the group. While she was a little impatient with the match, she knew better (at least, a little when it comes to people). She was thinking that Menma there was actually giving a quick pep talk to the shaking Bellsprout. Of course, not everybody in the Konoha 10 was like that.

"I'm not sure, but the two better hurry up! I'm getting antsy just waiting!" Kiba impatient responded, although it didn't sound like a respond. More like a demand, as he gripped the bars tighter and unconsciously leaned closer.

"For once, Kiba's right." Neji spoke up as he calmly stood up from his position from the metal railings and sat down at the seats provided. "I don't know why Menma's defying Bellsprout's fate."

"Huh? What do you mean by that?" Chouji asked, the well-rounded boy turned to give an inquisitive look at the Hyuuga, who just crossed his arms. However, his answer came from Shina who shuffled over to the group.

"What Neji meant was that Bellsprout wouldn't be able to handle a Starmie, especially one that was quite strong in power, and as the advantageous type. A **Psychic **attack was able to heavily damage Bellsprout, and it is a wonder that it was still able to stand. And logic dictates that another attack would probably finish it off." Shino explained, then sighed. It was a mouthful. Neji, while not showing it, silently thanked Shino for explaining, and thanking whatever God out there that he didn't have to explain it.

"So now you see. Fate decrees that Lily will win, so why is Menma trying to fight it?" Neji glowered at the black-haired boy kneeling down. He didn't understand it. From the very beginning, it was fate that led the Hyuuga in his life, walking in the shadows of his family, and gaining the identity of a Psychic type trainer. It was fate that led to his father, Hizashi, being in the shadow of Hinata's father and twin brother of Hizashi, Hiashi; and he hated it ever since. Being looked down upon all because he was Hizashi's son was a tough life, but it made him strong. It made him grow up to believe that perceiving the fate of the battle beforehand was the absolute guaranteed way to win. Yet when he saw Menma… or more importantly, the trainer defying fate itself… It made him angry.

Out on the side, Hinata sat staring at Neji with sad eyes. But she shook her head and continued watching. _'Menma…'_ She thought, with her eyes catching bits of nostalgia when she saw the boy talking to his Pokemon. However, her expression and everybody else's expressions changed, and the noise almost quiet.

It was at that point when Menma stood up and both he and Bellsprout readied themselves.

"We're not backing down yet! Not until you apologize to her! Now charge ahead, Bellsprout!"

**.o0o.**

Lily widened her eyes in surprise. She was so into making out what Menma was actually trying to say when she saw a blur coming towards the opposition. However, he may be fast, but she was faster.

"**Ice Beam** on the platforms, Starmie!" She cried out, noting the path Bellsprout's taking which is zigzagging across the platforms, compared to the straight forward method it took in its previous attempt. Starmie then had a ball of light blue frozen energy gathered up in the center of its body. After a second, its back appendage spun and it fired the jagged beam, towards the nearest platform, freezing its surface. However, Menma was silent in the whole ordeal, and Bellsprout continued onwards… almost as if it was floating.

"That trick won't work twice! **Psychic** again, Starmie!" Lily cried out, almost a little exasperated that Menma's trying the strategy again. However what happened next wasn't what she expected.

Sure Starmie glowed blue and tried to take hold of Bellsprout again, but it looked like it was… unaffected by it. She didn't know what sorcery happened. Starmie was still stunned by the revelation that it couldn't move from the oncoming **Vine Whip Kick**…

**SLAM!**

… that came from the behind, which hurt even more. Lily widened her eyes as she saw what she didn't think she would see behind Starmie's back.

It was another Bellsprout, giving the **Power Whip**.

**.o0o.**

"Heh… so that's what he did." Shikamaru said as he gave a small smirk on the ingenuity of the plan from Bellsprout and Menma's end. He can't help but marvel at what wacky troublesome, yet creative plans the black horse had up his sleeve.

"What?! But… how?" Neji and Sasuke were both flabbergasted from what they saw that could have been a move that ended the match. They first saw Bellsprout be unaffected by the **Psychic**, and then launched its legs towards the bipedal star Pokemon. However, what truly baffled them was a _second_ Bellsprout appeared from behind under the water and gave a fierce **Power Whip** on the back of the unsuspecting Starmie, which was defending itself from the front, but not the back.

"The first Bellsprout turned out to be an illusion, probably caused by a **Double Team**, and then swim underneath and strike from behind, which was its weakest point AND blind spot. To hold an illusion like that for a long time…" Shikamaru explained his troublesome explanation. Although it wasn't THAT troublesome, seeing how everybody began to understand.

"Wow… man, I wish I can come up with something like that…" Kiba muttered jealously as he continued to stare ahead of the arena. Neji and Sasuke thought the same thing before turning back and staring hard at the match. Almost as if their eyes can burn out.

"There they go again…" Tenten sighed from just looking at the trio of trainers. That certainly can be unhealthy.

"To think up of a brilliant plan like that…" Damian watched in awe as well. Tenten sighed even heavier. Please don't let it spread!

**.o0o.**

"Wow… Brother Menma's Bellsprout…!" Inari watched the spectacles with stars on his eyes. The cool moves, the awesome combos, his surrogate brother really is the best! The Ka-pow! The Ka-boom! The Ka-whammie! The little boy did punching sound effects like he was trying to replicate the moves that Menma and Bellsprout did inside where they were watching the battle.

Where exactly? Inside the changeroom, with the door currently creaked open slightly. They knew they weren't supposed to be in there during performance time, but no one saw them in there so far. And besides, it was their only option other than watching from the bleachers. However, the guards there probably wouldn't recognize Misty or Inari as the Sister's… siblings. It still was a bad taste in the mouth for Misty.

"Yeah… He's beating my sisters!" Misty's breathless awe was completely different. While Inari saw Naruto as an awesome battler and idol, Misty was a bit different. It was more like a hero; a knight in shining armor in fact. It felt real, like he was defending her pride and dignity against the three "monsters" ahead that would even take that away from her after so much...

A truly climatic battle, a testament for teamwork, and it was something that nearly made Misty tear up in happiness and turn her cheeks red.

'_I want to learn… I need to! He knows! Menma knows! How to get… stronger.'_ She thought, with resolve building up inside of her, like water pouring into a bucket. _'Maybe… when he leaves, maybe… I can… go with him…' _Misty's cheeks burned a little atomic red, then shook herself out of it. She'll think of those questions later.

However, when she broke out of her stupor, footsteps were echoing behind her, along with murmuring. She instantly turned her head, to see a cloth cover her mouth in surprise. She gasped, which made her breathe in a foreign substance. Her eyes widened, then drooped down into unconsciousness.

"Sis?" Inari turned around, inquisitively. He was too absorbed into the fight to even notice that someone do the same to Inari as they did with Misty. The last thing they saw was a man, a woman and some sort of Pokemon, smiling evilly to their kidnapped prey. And then… darkness.

"Alright, job's done. But what do we need the kids for anyway?" The man asked.

"Shut up! I know kidnapping twerps isn't our style, but we need the pay anyway!" The woman replied with a shrill voice.

"Yeeah! But chu're right! I wondah what da bawss need zem foh?" A mysterious catty voice that came from the Pokemon tried to add onto. A short "Hmmm…" the trio thought out loud.

"Maybe for kick?" The man voiced his opinion.

"Or maybe for sale?" So did the woman. But none of them couldn't figure out the answer.

"I guess it doesn't matteh! Kicks or sales or Growlithe dog tails, us three can care less if we'd be rollin' in the dough!" The Pokemon lifted a paw, with a determined smile on its face.

"Hooray!" The three replied, with such melodious spirit and cheer, and picked up the bodies. And with a rush, they dashed off the scene of the crime. **(11)**

* * *

**(1) If you have watched Lilo and Stitch, it's like the jeer Mertle's friends give to Lilo. I don't know, make up your own conclusion!  
**

**(2) Again, the story is a little complex (I say a little), so don't expect anybody to act the way they act without a reason for doing so. I can never bash a character. It's not me to do that.**

**(3) This will be apparent later. It was said if a Pokemon doesn't like a Trainer, it will stop trusting it and follow its own plans instead of listening to the Trainer altogether. Let that sink in for a minute.**

**(4) I swear it will become apparent later!**

**(5) Look. I know Bellsprout doesn't breathe (it doesn't have a lung), but it's still a plant and it can't survive in water unless it's seaweed. So I'm just taking into context that it needs air and water to absorb the nutrients that it needs in order to survive in the deep sea for quiet a long while. I don't know how the logic works, but I'm guessing that since Bellsprout doesn't 'breathe', it can technically stay in the water longer than your average lung-user or landwalker. However, it can't survive down there for long since it requires the carbon dioxide in the air. So it's breathing the CO2 into its body before diving, knowing it has more than enough nutrients to survive the deep sea.**

**(6) Hurr music joke becuz I study in U of T.**

**(7) Every sailor knows that means death.**

**(8) I used to play Naruto Ultimate Ninja 2 on the PS2, and Rock Lee's best special move was the Hidden Lotus where you just see multiple copies of itself before they smashed at the opponent.**

**(9) A new special move, but I don't know the name. It's almost a full copy of "Gum-Gum Giant Gavel" from One Piece.**

**(10) I don't simply have the names be said. I literally research their cry on Youtube. Charizard does not go "Charrrizaaaaaaard!" Ninetails does not go "Niiiiine..." So yeah. The Starmie cry is from the anime when Misty and Ash battle for the Cascade Badge. Simple poetic irony, eh?**

**(11) If you can guess these three correctly, then you earned yourself a cookie!**

* * *

**Sorry I've been busy for a while. It was busy in university and life itself. I hate work. And this is not work. This is fun! I hope you guys are enjoying this fic! Be sure to rate, write and review this chapter!**

* * *

**Reviewer Responses! (My favourite part!)**

**NinjaFang1331: Thanks! It's encouraging for you to say that!**

**vn543731: You're welcome on the Growlithe! Also, I didn't tell anybody this, but this story is all about breaking those limits. Trust me, this series will be long, and Chimchar will be able to fight quite a lot of strong Pokemon. Breaking the limits how? The Eight Gates is one way!**

**withdranwnmadness000: Yeah Chimmy won't evolve. I always did kind of had respect with unevolved Pokemon, hence why I like Pikachu a lot. And don't be disappointed. I'll make more chapters that will leave you with a smile on your face and wanting for MOAR!**

**ivan0061509: Well, now you got some more! Now are you waiting for EVEN MOAR?!**

**suntan190: There is always more than one side of a story. You sure you want the sisters to not be Gym Leaders anymore?**

**grimreaper40045: Stab boost or no, it doesn't matter. Chimchar will BREAK ALL THE LIMITS, YA HEAR?! Also, glad you liked the punishments.**

**Guest: You know, for this chapter, you're my favourite reviewer :3 Also I do prefer Chimchar out of its Pokeball, but sometimes I forget that Chimmy is even there at all. If there is a lack of Chimchar, then I apologize. The Akatsuki won't appear until the Sinnoh arc, and that's where it really begins to kick off. The Kages I won't spoil for now, but you'll see one soon actually. Yes they were very strong trainers, but they chose the path of research rather than the path to battling glory. Your first suggestions of Pokemon shall be considered! Great review!**

**Bptex: You satisfied with this first part of the fight yet?**

**Dreaming of the Phoenix: Hello new reviewer! And thanks for the compliment! It's kinda my style, since I rather put in all the details rather than just leave it with back and forth calling with Pokemon names. It's different and I hope you enjoy it! Also, Chimchar doesn't grow a fire sac as it evolves. It is born with it, and let me tell you: there is a dark secret behind it that even Chimchar doesn't even know!**

** .9: Sheesh.**


	11. Chapter 10 - The Second Lesson Part 2

**I don't own Pokemon nor Naruto. Sorry.**

**So I read all your reviews and I'm going to say this: you guys love cookies don't ya? Hehehehe. So regarding my decision to whether or not use six Pokemon, or more: I'm going to use more, but by around 1 or 2 more. I don't want to ruin the aspect of having just 6 Pokemon, but one or two more shouldn't hurt too much. I mean, you guys gave some pretty interesting choices (most of you guys), so yeah! Anyway, hope you enjoy the Halloween treat I got ya!**

* * *

"_I'm sorry, but… we can't."_

_She knew it was the wrong thing to do… or perhaps it was the right thing._

"_I'm sorry Lily, but like I said, she's too young and she'll drag us down."_

_Perhaps she was going about it the wrong way… or right… or maybe both. Any person experienced in therapy wouldn't know how to solve this correctly._

_"We have a contract already, so we have to be perfect on stage. You wouldn't want her to mess up on stage and be booed off the stage, would you?"_

_But she had to. She needed to._

_"N-No… I-I don't…"_

_The hurt on Lily's face would have torn her apart, but she steeled herself and hardened her own heart for this. It was for the greater good after all. She knew she was the oldest of the four sisters, so she had to be the one taking the responsibility._

_"I can't believe it… You two… Why would you ditch family over this swimming act?!"_

_Daisy's hand would burst due to the grip turning it pale if she had that kind of strength. Her eyes wavered around the stage for a split second to spot a familiar tuft of orange hair. It broke her on the inside that she was listening to all of this, but she had to keep her stern expression on the outside._

"_Face the facts, sis! We don't need her! Hell, it's likely that we'll never need her! She's a runt, I'm telling you! Why can't you get it in your thick head for once?!"_

_Of course, one could bring their expression to the front once in a while._

_"Violet, enough!" Daisy snapped back at Violet's unneeded outburst. The bluenette seriously had to keep her mouth shut. She was the one who started this whole fiasco in the first place. But before she could do any more, she reigned herself in. "Just leave her be, Violet. It isn't worth it…" She took a sigh as the tension was cut loose. All that Violet could do was grunt and kept walking into the changeroom._

_"I need a salon trip." Damn her… It was like she desired everything to perfect her image… Daisy shook her head from the sudden headache from the painful events that this will create in due time. If only she knew…_

_Lily was on the brink of crying, as she was certainly shaken up from those events. Inside the blonde's heart however, Daisy knew that she would be the same if it wasn't for the… situation… she and Violet has unintentionally pulled themselves in. Still trying to keep herself from falling into her knees. She brought her body, head specifically, beside Lily and whispered her words:_

_"I'm sorry Lily… but I expect you to be at tomorrow's practice." _

_With a shake of her head, she left the pinkette alone, knowing that she's going to start shedding tears soon. As soon as she entered the tiled room, the sound of shower water running, her breath nearly hitched and her eyes dilating out of stress. Her feet froze for a moment and it would have fell into shambles if she didn't hold on the wall. She didn't know how long she had this moment of storm and stress, but her breathing relaxed and her shoulders up-righted themselves_

_'No… I got to… relax.'_

_It pained her a lot that she had to go through this. They were in a tight spot, but people would think that it was due to finance. However it was different. __She stumbled forward to the showers, watching Violet wash her blueberry-scented hair and flaunting it to nobody to particular. Scowling, she proceeded to get her hair washed, letting the hot water and the liquid soap clean away the damn fatigue and chlorine away. But all the shower time could not wash away what has happened to everybody as time passed. _

_Misty became more reclusive with Lily becoming more self-conscious and less bubbly of her neglecting actions due to her choices. Her mother and former performer of the Sensational Sisters, Tsunami, is still thinking she made the best choice, her father, Kaiza, architect of his drunkard father Tazuna, still thinking that everything is still alright. Her little brother, even at 4 years of age, was clingier to Misty than herself, Lily or Violet. While it did make her a little jealous, she shook her head. Misty needed someone to love and someone to reciprocate it too. It reminded her that even though she loves Misty, it made her freeze just how much she pushed her away; and somehow her gut feelings were telling her that Lily felt the same. However, with those memories of her family, another memory crept in and shook her. Unconsciously, she made her head turn to the flaunting person next to her._

_Violet._

_Daisy wanted to just ignore her blabbering tongue and punch her in the face. She knew that she always wanted anything and everything. Whether it was from when she was born or something happened that made her change, she doesn't know. What she wanted, most of all, was the attention. Her image was what was most important, and looked in the mirror more than she practiced her swimming act. And now, if what she said was true or not true… she was making a deal that, in her own ignorance for the future, should not be made._

_Trust me, the offer to punch her was incredibly tempting, but she had to use all her force to hold back her arm. She IS the oldest and the leader of the Sensational Sisters after all. She can't be-._

"_Hey, Daisy."_

"_What?"_

"_Could you pay for the salon trip today? I need my hair to not frizzle up when we go out for another trip through shopping. I feel like impressing that mall clerk today~."_

_**SMACK!**_

_The sound of a limb smacking tender flesh echoed in the halls. Only the sound of running water from the showerhead was heard as Violet reeled backwards, clutching her reddening cheek. Her eyes was wide with disbelief. The bluenette would have retaliated, but stopped due to the image she saw._

_The image of terror, something that made her fear for her life. It was Daisy, her eyes filled to the brim with anger that would even make a Dragonite fear for its life._

"_S-Sis?" A meek Violet asked, while trying to be defiant, she was shaking in fear and had her back on the shower wall. Normally she would retort but…_

"_Violet." Daisy said, her eyes glowing. The blonde girl's hair was waving around wildly while her hand leaned on the wall near Violet's head. There was no escape. "I'm only going to say this one. __**Shut. Up**__. You caused enough damn trouble for one day."_

_To this day, Violet had a tinge of fear whether she went out of line near Daisy. Violet nearly screeched in terror before shakily nodding. The terrifying aura calmed down, with the eyes and the blonde hair returning to normal. The bluenette and surprisingly Daisy both let out a breath they unconsciously held. _

"_Hmph. A sight for sore eyes." A voice from their right commented, causing the two girls to look towards the entranceway of the shower room. They caught sight of a familiar short man with a cane, ash gray puffy hair standing outwards, a thin mustache and black round glasses. He was wearing a black suit and purple tie as well. One would expect just an eyebrow raised and pleasantries given to and fro from seeing this man in your shower, but the reaction Violet had…_

"_HYEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!"_

…_was explosive. _

_With the peeping Tom that's looking at her pure unadulterated self, Violet grabbed the nearest object and threw it at the man, which was a bar of soap. The man didn't even flinch at the incoming flying bar, as it was suddenly sliced in four out of nowhere. The girls lost their hazed embarrassment and had shocked looks instead._

"_Hey! Don't hurt our temporary bawss, ya hear?"_

_Behind him were three silhouettes as they walked into the light. One of the figures made himself known as it looked like a cream-coloured cat Pokemon, with an ovoid head, cat-like eyes, paws as hands and feet, a curled tail with a brown tip, and four whiskers on its cheeks._

_Two more figures made themselves known, and they were human. One was a female, looking at her figure her long crescent shaped scarlet hair, blue eyes, thin eyelashes, a hoop skirt showing her midriff, and green earrings. Her eyes held a sense of vanity, either that or it could be the smile. The other was a guy with chin length purple hair, green eyes, a belt, pants and a blue rose in his hand. Both of them wore white shirts with the giant red letter __**R**__ on each of them, black undershirts, gray gloves and boots._

"_H-Huh? Who are you?! And what are you doing here?!" Daisy immediately demanded, obviously confused on what is going on._

"_Oh it's you, Gato."_ **(1)**_ Violet nonchalantly said, as she stood back up, complete with a serious face. Her face didn't show any surprise, which was shocking since the bluenette was still naked in her fullest of glories._

"_Wait…" The stunned Daisy turned her head sharply to Violet. "Who is that man, Violet? Don't tell me he's-."_

"_Ah but I am." The short man smiled, although there was something wrong with that smile. The blonde girl just looked, wide eyes obviously frozen beyond belief. _

'_Gato…?' Where did I hear his name from?'_

"_I'm here to finalize the contract with dear Violet here." He explained in a rather cocky tone that made Daisy sick. Violet however simply walked forward and nodded, her serious face not changing any time soon._

"_Where is the contract?"_

"_Right here." Gato reached into his back pocket and opened up a folded piece of paper with a pen tucked on the bottom. Violet then grabbed the pen and held it under her lip as she tried to decipher the contract. There were a lot of written out words and intricate phrases inside; some of the words Violet can understand, like 'as long as the show makes the revenue…' while other phrases she cannot. She couldn't understand until she saw the bottom…_

'140,000,000,000 Pokedollars…' **(2)**

_Immediately, she was…"Sold!"_

"_Wait! Violet!" Daisy's voice tried to halt her, but Violet, with pen in hand and money signs in her eyes, signed the contract…_

…_effectively making Gato laugh as he rolled up the piece of paper that effectively sealed their fates._

"_HeheheheHEHAHAHAHAHA! Good, very good!" The short man chortled haughtily, almost as if he's coughing out his guts. Violet looked unfazed, but Daisy had her eyes widened in fear on Violet's rash and possibly foolish action. _

'_Not only that, but the midget's entire demeanor changed. J-Just what the hell…?' This can't be good at all._

"_W-Wait, let me take a look at this 'contract'!" Daisy stuttered, her 'older sister taking charge' façade leaving her for a second before shaking herself. "I'm the leader of the Sisters, so I'm the leader who makes the decisions here!"_

"_By all means, take a look at the contract!" Gato, still smiling evilly, handed her the rolled piece of paper. As she swiped it and unraveled it, her eyes followed the legible text, with a myriad of emotions and a lot of facial colour changes. Many of them not good at all._

'_Now I remember… He's Gato, part of GATO Industries, owner of the Power Plant and a giant tiny sleaze! Dammit, Violet! Why did you have to sign this contract?!' Daisy paled at who the short smirking man was, her hands shaking in fear and pressure. She then continued reading and then turned red with anger._

"_WHAT?! Violet, didn't you even read the contract?!" Daisy shoved the contract on Violet's face, while the bluenette scrunched her face in annoyance._

"_Well, of course! The shortie's gonna give us 140 billion Pokedollars! We're gonna be rich, sis!" Violet responded, in such a way that would make people think that the delusional, beauty-obsessed girl did the right thing._

"… _in three years in full amount? And 90% of our other revenues going with Gato instead?"_

_How wrong she was._

"_Eh?" The bluenette's face froze._

"_We're getting paid that amount of money in three years, but nothing but 10% scraps in between! YOU FOOL! That'll put us in debt in the next two years with that little money!" Daisy exploded in front of the bluenette's face, the blonde's face turning from red to an almost bright purple due to the rage from her sister's rash decision._

"_W-Well… I-I-I…"_

_Not to mention stupid. Daisy, after giving her sister the evil eye, went back to deciphering the contract. And it got worse from there. Her hands gripped the paper, almost threatening to rip it to shreds in plain view. Now her face was shadowed, almost trembling with rage._

"_YOU BASTARD!" Daisy screamed out in pure hatred as she lashed out towards the business man with a punch. However before it connected to the unflinching Gato, his hired bodyguards stepped in and held her in place. The scarlet haired woman having her arms wrap around Daisy's right arm and her waist. The purple mop-haired man held her by the neck and the left arm, as to not be rude to where he touch her naked body. The cat Pokemon "LET ME GO! LET ME GOOO!" The girl cried out angrily, struggling even more, but the trio wouldn't budge._

"_Not so fast, girlie twerp. Learn to respect your elders!" The woman replied with a sneer as all three of them threw Daisy off and onto the cold shower floor._

"_Especially the ones who can push you back without breaking our backs!" The man crossed his arms and eyed the girl as she got back up, huffing._

"_So why don't you younggunz just accept da contract you signed?!" The cat Pokemon asked with a glinting smile, showing off the fangs on its teeth._

"_Why…? WHY?!" Daisy bellowed, almost in a demonic rage as her eyes flashed in anger. "BECAUSE MY LITTLE SISTER, MISTY, JUST GOT SOLD AWAY TO THIS SLEAZE BECAUSE OF THIS IDIOT SISTER RIGHT HERE! OR ELSE YOU'RE GOING TO SELL AWAY MY FAMILY!"_

_Her voice echoed in the changeroom, which disappeared as soon as it was said. However, what was left was an uncomfortable silence, with the shower still running as the only sound. The tension was unbearable, as Daisy lost all her anger and began to cry tears. Gato was just there smiling wickedly while Violet could care less. However, the most shocking reactions were from the bodyguards, their faces wide in shock and wincing in realization on the stipulation._

"_Stealing a child?"_

"_That's human trafficking, isn't it?"_

"_I've nevah heard from da bawss talkin about dat befoh…"_

_Their murmurs between each other however, didn't go unnoticed by Gato, who frowned a little. No one loved bodyguards who questioned their every motives, no matter how horrid. So with those lines said, he had enough and pulled out his bargaining chip under his sleeves._

"_Jessie, James, Meowth, enough! Back to your positions!" He commanded, with the trio in front of him turning around…_

… _to see a 44 caliber magnum revolver in his hand. "Or perhaps that yearly paycheck will go into the furnace instead." He threatened with that revolver (which was thankfully not point at them), causing them to flinch and shiver._

"_Y-Yes boss!" They cried as they stood behind him, straight up, afraid of getting shot._

_Daisy gritted her teeth, knowing she has no control over the situation. "Y-You…!"_

"_Just let it go, sis."_

_Her shocked pair of eyes turned to the bluenette, her face serious, yet submissive and greedy._

"_Violet, you can't expect-!"_

"_I said let it go! You're not ruining my chance for some big moola!" Violet growled, showing that she was completely serious in the deal, despite the consequences. That in turn made Daisy absolutely livid._

"_Violet! How could you?! You turn away the parents and family that raised you?!"_

"_Oh please! We're going to be rising stars, Daisy! No more parents telling us what to do!" Violet proudly stated, even though she doesn't see the irony in her statement. "We'll be famous and be on talk shows and win awards! Who cares about Misty?! Who cares about our family?!"_

"_I do! Why can't you see it?!" Daisy cried out, her words now coming from her heart. Pearly tears were forming in the corners of her eyes as her façade began to crack around her heart. "And YOU!" She glared at Gato, still smirking from all the melodrama going on. "Don't think you'll get away with this!"_

"_Oh you think I wasn't prepared for this?" Gato ominously countered, still having his smirk on him. "I have my henchmen searching for the little girl right now! And think about getting any ideas! You know what's on the contract!"_

_Daisy felt her blood running cold. She knew there was also a bit more on the contract that she read. Her family, if Daisy or any of the sisters violated the contract in the next three years or if they uttered a single word about the contract, would be forced to vacate their home and out of Cerulean City. And if the Sensational Sisters leave Cerulean, then the populace itself would lose their own symbol and dignity._

_It was like the Sisters themselves are the ones who hold this city together._

"_You… you wouldn't dare! I-I'll tell! I'll call the police!"_

"_Oh go ahead! Call them! Besides, you wouldn't want your police knowing! After all, they will never know it's me, and the whole thing would be on your shoulders, now would it?" Gato ominously dared them. Daisy was actually tempted to run towards her locker and get her cellphone. However, the situation, which had a revolver in front of her, plus Gato's goons and her own sister blocking her way did not allow it. "Besides… is it really worth it to save one dear sister over the rest of your family? You should think rationally for once!"_

"_Tsk…" Daisy just laid silently there in her naked form, trembling a little on the prospect. Gato just smirked sinisterly, before something clicked in his head and reached into his pocket._

"_Oh, one last thing before we make the trade." Gato remarked, as he pulled out a Pokeball, although it was a little different. It had a blue half with red strips sticking out, with its other half a trademark white and the trademark button on the center. "You'll be needing this." Daisy just looked at him, and then the ball. Her head was clouded with emotions welling up for a long while. It make her feel… weak and vulnerable._

"_W-What? What is this?"_

"_It's a Shellder with two tickets for the thing you love. NO IT'S A GREAT BALL, YOU DUMB BROAD!" Gato sarcastically yelled at her with a hard scowl on his face, making Daisy flinch from his tone. He may be the one who was calling the shots, but he shouldn't have yelled at a girl like that._

"_I know that! I meant what Pokemon?!"_

"_Find out for yourself. Just letting you know that it's incredibly powerful." Gato replied with a smirk. "Probably the strongest Water Pokemon in this region!"_

"_Wait what?! Why are you giving this to me?"_

"_Because even though you are the Sisters, you are also Gym Leaders too, aren't you?" His glasses shined as he smirked. "Perhaps building a fearsome reputation could build more revenue. Maybe even fame as well." And with fame, came more audiences, and with that came more money. Even a brain-dead person can easily connect the dots. "With it, you can easily break any trainer's spirit!"_

_What Gato said was easily the most shocking thing she has heard from his mouth. Sure, she can accept the business man to trap her in a contract (she's pretty sure a lot of businesses do that too), but this? "W-Wha…!? No! I wouldn't!" She defended herself as she stood up, shaking her head defiantly. "I'm a Gym Leader! I don't break the spirits of Trainers! We don't use Pokemon like that!"_

"_Well then that's too bad!" Gato snapped, gritting his teeth as it should've been easier to convince the gal to use the Pokemon inside. "This is real life, not fantasy, girl! We use Pokemon every day like the tools they are! They exist just for that purpose! MY purpose! Even though it's not part of the contract, you'll find someone strong, so you're bound to use the Pokemon inside eventually!"_

"_Tsk…!" Daisy couldn't come up with any more words as she stood there, frozen. Instead she hissed like an angry snake with her pale fists gripping itself hard. But before she could retort, two people wearing yakuza gear came baring into the door._

"_Mr. Gato, sir!" Before any more threats were given, two thugs ran inside, both looking quite tired and pale and sweaty. The smirk on Gato disappeared as he turned around, his eyes behind the sunglasses staring directly at the two. "We were unsuccessful on finding the girl. We've searched the locations you wanted us to search, but she was in neither of those places. What is our next plan of action?"_

"_What?! The pool? The Pokemon Center?! Even her own home?!" Gato exclaimed, clearly distressed. He could understand that the brat wasn't in the pool or the Pokemon Center. But not within the confines of her own home? "Dammit! The cops'll catch wind of this!"_

"_What?! You ransacked my home?!" Daisy barked out angrily, obviously offended by the disruption and invasion of privacy and damage of property. Violet was stunned too, muttering that nothing precious was stolen in her room. Gato stiffened a little, accidentally blurting out that information._

"_Tsk, w-well…" The short businessman gripped his cane before turning back to Daisy. "Fine. How about a compromise then? The contract will still run, but you don't have to hand that little girl in yet." It wouldn't do if you made a trade that had to do with child trafficking especially when the cops are out to get you. "Possibly around three years, which is the time I give you the mass amount of money I promised you. Don't bother trying to find me or ask early. I'll know, and it won't be pretty!" He quickly laid out his offer and was ready to go, having the appearance of someone who needed to go to the bathroom badly._

_Daisy thought this one over. Violet tried to say something, but a quick ghostly glare shut her up. The gears inside grinded and spun rapidly inside her mind. If they laid her off for a while, she may be able to find a solution. Perhaps hide Misty? Or maybe secretly tell the cops. She'll figure it out soon._

"_Fine."_

_With that said, Gato, with a smile on his face, left. His two goons, Jessie, James and Meowth left shortly after without any more sentences to say._

"_Damn, you know those two girls were kinda loaded in… that department, wouldn't ya say?"_

"_Forgetaboutit dude. They're like 13 years old. Plus I prefer the older women with more… __**these **__and… __**that**__, ya know?"_

"_True…. Yeah I guess you're right. Doesn't feel right to violate a girl or two."_

"_Preachin' the choir about that one…"_

_Well, actually, the goons did have their last remark._

"_Tsk. Perverts. Took too much of my time away from the salon." Violet huffed until going towards the locker room to retrieve her belongings, leaving Daisy on the shower floor, alone with her thoughts._

'_Save Misty and lose my whole family? Or give her to them?'_

_That is the question._

**.o0o.**

"Bellsprout! **Energy Ball**!"

"Use **Ice Beam**, Starmie!"

Two colliding forces met each other, causing an explosion. Waves of water pushed back from the force, with two Pokemon shielding themselves from the smoke. The battle was raging onto a standstill. Hit after hit between the two oppositions ferociously. The two trainers watching this were having the tense feeling inside of their guts. Lily has her drive to battle shown all over her face, with furrow brows, gritted teeth and a glint in her eyes, while Menma was keeping most of it inside. Chimchar just watched as well, but it was more of concentrating rather than cheering. It knows that Bellsprout can win.

"Don't give up! Use **Double Team** and rush Starmie, Bellsprout!"

In an instant, three Bellsprouts jumped right through the smoke already up in the air and ready to strike the Starmie. However, it was more prepared.

"**Rapid Spin**, Starmie, and then use **Psychic **on the real one!"

The purple star began to spin and spin, generating a mini-cyclone which slashed through the three Bellsprouts. However, when it stopped and began to focus on its target for **Psychic**…

**POOF POOF POOF!**

It realized that all three of them were part of the **Double Team** and vanished after getting hit by **Rapid Spin**. However, Lily remembered what happened last time, and smirked. It looked like Starmie knew too, and immediately turned around just as another Bellsprout arose and was about to strike it with its **Vine Whip Kicks**.

"That's not going to work a second time! Use **Psychic**!" Lily commanded, with Starmie fully obliging. It immediately glowed blue in order to hold the Grass/Psychic type in place. However, the minute the attack landed, the Bellsprout did not seem fazed from the attack at all, which made Lily and Starmie tense. If that wasn't the right one, then where did it go?

The conclusion:

_**CRACK! KASPLOOSH!**_

From right below.

"You're right, Lily. It won't work a second time." Menma stated to the opposition.

With that said, the platform that Starmie was standing on suddenly cracked from pressure from below, with a Bellsprout bursting out and thrashing the Mysterious Pokemon with a good **Power Whip**. However, since there was a lot of resistance, like the water and the platform material, it was not powerful. Starmie skidded on its back on one of the other few platforms before standing back up shakily. Bellsprout landed on its feet on an opposing platform, huffing and puffing.

Both were looking quite tired now. Starmie looked like it was going to topple, as it was covered in bruises and welts from super effective attacks. While it was an overall tougher Pokemon and had moves that can deal with, it underestimated the power of a basic Pokemon's super effective moves. It's especially apparent when said Pokemon seems to be one vine whipping expert.

While Starmie looked more hurt, Bellsprout appeared to be more tired and panting rather than hurt. Sure it was hit by one powerful **Psychic**, but with its superior speed and trickery, no other hits from Starmie landed on the Grass Pokemon. However, with all the dodging and swimming it had to do (since swimming wasn't its forte; it can streamline itself, but doing it multiple times can tire a non-swimmer out in the long run), it was no surprise that Bellsprout began to tire out.

'_We can't dodge for long. We're getting tired, yet one more hit and it can spell defeat for both of us!'_ Naruto thought to himself as he narrowed his eyes on the field. Many of the platforms laid in ruins or was frozen, and Starmie looked like it was close to the ropes.

It was the first time he was pushed into a corner when it came to battling. It felt… exciting, almost. He smiled and clenched his fist. The audience in the standees were murmuring to themselves, wondering what their next moves will be. When it initially began, they were only excited for the Sensational Sisters. Now, however, everybody was anticipating the next move of both trainers.

"Bellsprout." He said, having the Pokemon turn its head around slightly. "I know you're tired, but I can tell you're not giving up yet!" Those words invigorated Bellsprout as it began to stand up straight again. "Right! Ready to attack one more time?" Naruto said with eccentricity. It may be its last play, but it won't go down without a fight.

"Bell!" It cried before its legs bend down, ready to rush the opposition once more. Lily, who saw the fiery interaction between the two, smiled a little.

'_I can see why Misty chose to stay by him.'_

"Are you ready, Menma? I'm not going to hold back this time!" Lily called out, with Menma and Bellsprout tensing, readying for what's possibly the final bout. "Now! Jump up and use **Bubblebeam **and **Rapid Spin**!"

"**Vine Whip Kick **out of there, Bellsprout!"

The purple star Pokemon leaped high in the air and began to spin, launching salvo after salvo of light blue bubbles towards the plant Pokemon. While some of the bubbles missed, they leave a tiny explosion that would probably hurt a child. However, Bellsprout was kicking them away, almost spinning and dancing in the air; like an immovable gust of wind knocking the bubbles away. It looked like Bellsprout had it down pat, but then came another of Lily's commands.

"Now Starmie!"

Suddenly, through the blast of bubbles came a spinning Starmie slicing through its own projectiles and dashing towards the Grass type. Menma widened his eyes in shock, seeing Bellsprout stop its kicks in order to show its shock on the oncoming full-body projectile.

"Into the water, Bellsprout!"

"I don't think so! Dive into the water with it, Starmie!"

Bellsprout, hearing its trainer's quick cry, tipped its body backwards, just barely dodging the edges from its yellow head by a hair's length. The Grass Pokemon then dipped itself into the pool water and swam to the other side to get some distance. Starmie was still spinning like a sawblade, but missed its target. Immediately the Starmie tilted itself upwards and flew directly up, before diving downwards into the water in a large splash.

"Into the water again…" Menma mumbled to himself. This isn't good, since, just like Seadra, Starmie is in its element. The only problem is that the Mysterious Pokemon had its trainer to back it up. He gripped his fist, knowing this will be tough.

But he had faith.

**.o0o.**

It can see nothing but water. Bellsprout kept swimming about, trying to lose itself in the water and hopefully from its prey. The bad thing about the situation it was in is that it wasn't just a willy-nilly sea Pokemon like the Seadra. This time, Bellsprout felt like the prey.

Movements in the water alerted Bellsprout as it tried to swivel around and around, searching for the predator that was trying to hunt it. Adrenaline was beginning to pump into the Grass Pokemon's system as it shook its head. Using its **Double Team** underwater, it created two illusionary copies and spread them out. The reason Bellsprout couldn't create any more was due to the water resistance and pressure, and the battle before was during its streamlining and already evasive maneuvers. However, it did not last long, as Bellsprout turned around, readying a breath stroke…

… to be face-to-face with a rub ruby, glowing a light blue.

**.o0o.**

"Could you see what's going on there?" Ino asked Shikamaru impatiently, with Shikamaru grimacing a little from her tone.

"No. I'm trying, but your troublesome voice isn't helping me." He lazily shot back as he concentrated towards the shadows of the pool, unable to make out anything.

"Oops… sorry." Ino meekly apologized, knowing that probably yelling her questions isn't going to solve anything. "I'm just really… ya know… tense."

"Yeah. Everyone who came for the Sisters are now actually interested in this match." Shikamaru pointed out, as Ino looked at the audience members around her. They were gripping their own hands on the seats, entranced and anticipating who comes out of the pool's depths standing proud. Suddenly, Shikamaru looked further and noticed something.

Two shadows he can make out, with one of them bigger than the other. The smaller one however… looked like it was struggling.

"Welp…" Shikamaru sighed and propped his head on his forearm, leaning on the railing. "It's over."

"What?" Ino was about to make Shikamaru elaborate until she heard a splash. Everybody looked over at the pool and saw something fly upwards.

It was Bellsprout, all battered up.

**.o0o.**

"Bellsprout!" Menma yelled out, watching the battered form of Bellsprout's seemingly unconscious form fly in the air. From the pool's surface, Starmie laid flat on the surface, charging a white sphere just in front of its gem. The audience began to cheer again, finally see the result of the brawl underneath the murky depths, much to Menma's chagrin.

"Alright! Time to wrap the battle up! Starmie, use **Ice Beam**!" Lily gave her final command. This made Menma stiffen. One more hit, and Bellsprout's history.

"No…! Bellsprout! You gotta wake up! Please!" He called out to Bellsprout. While it did sound like pleading, he didn't care.

"CMON! BELLSPROUT!" He cried out louder, which was heard over the cheers of the audience.

**Ba-bumm!**

Bellsprout's legs twitched and its mouth shaky. Its eyes shot open like it had just awoke from a nightmare, and raring to fight against said nightmare to the death. Remembering what happened from the last 8 to 10 minutes of battling, it turned around in the air and looked at the pool, where Starmie is about to fire its **Ice Beam**.

"Bell!" It cried out, catching the attention of everybody. Many were surprised, some were quite astonished, but there was only one who was happy that it was awake.

"Bellsprout! Alright!" Like a little boy, Menma nearly jumped for joy at the sight. Bellsprout felt newfound energy, somehow, from hearing Menma's voice. It made it feel warm inside, and within that warmth was the flames of power beginning to roar one last time.

"Wha?!" Lily gasped in surprise, seeing Bellsprout alive and kicking once again. Even after two **Psychics**, which were two super effective moves against a basic Pokemon, the Grass/Poison type refuses to stay down.

'_Wow… Both of them truly has the drive…'_

With that, Bellsprout straightened itself in the air and angled its head towards the Starmie, almost ready to fire the frozen energy it was charging up. Following suit, green energy was channeled in front of its head, forming one last **Energy Ball**, this time larger than usual.

"Let's go, Bellsprout! **Energy Ball**!"

"Now, Starmie! Fire your **Ice Beam**!"

The two attacks collided with each other, struggling against each other in equal strength. Starmie's white **Ice Beam** against Bellsprout's green **Energy Ball**. Everyone was in awe of the power struggle between the two, which looked like a ball of white. Both Pokemon struggled to hold and contain their attacks, and it really showed with their pained expressions; Bellsprout's wincing face and Starmie's erratic twitching. Menma and Lily flinched at how much their respective Pokemon are not backing down, but Menma especially, as he noticed little layers of ice creeping up from the bottom of the **Energy Ball**, which was very close to overpowering it.

'_I hope Bellsprout's got energy for one last attack!'_ Menma quickly thought as he got the attention of his Pokemon by his next command. The ice covered almost half of the **Energy **Bell, so it's now or never!

"BELLSPROUT! **SECRET MOVE**!" **(3)**

Bellsprout heard its command, and readied itself, feeling a new drive from within. Wrapping its legs together in a corkscrew, Bellsprout channeled energy into its legs as much as it was needed for **Power Whip**, rather than its head where it was supplying the **Energy Ball**. Sure, the frozen energy from the beam make the ice creep up faster, but now Bellsprout was ready. Right before the ball of nature energy was fully overpowered by the **Ice Beam**, Bellsprout slammed both of its legs downwards with all its might, causing the **Energy Ball**'s natural power and potential energy to tremendously increase tenfold. The colliding powers immediately mixed into a brilliant shade of green and light blue, before exploding.

Everybody shielded their eyes from the epic blast, shaking the pool foundations itself. Menma and the Sisters shielded their eyes, as the entire audience gasped from the amount of power displayed. Smoke covered the pool as Menma can only gaze onwards from within the smoke. When it cleared, surprise was the only reaction everyone had.

In the center were two Pokemon, with both of them lying still and unconscious. Bellsprout had swirls in its eyes, and bruises all over its head and arms. Starmie laid unconscious too, with some cracks here and there and its red ruby gemstone blinking on and off.

"Both Pokemon are unable to battle! No victor has been declared!" The referee announced, looking at the remains of the platform pieces that the battle destroyed. There were puddles of water everywhere, and somehow the pool looked three inches shallower.

"Oh dear… Two Pokemon down for us and one for Menma." Lily muttered worriedly, as she brought out her Pokeball. "Starmie, return!" A bright red beam shot out of the button of the Pokeball and Starmie dissipated into the ball in a red flash. "You did great, Starmie. I'll get you treated afterwards, okay?" Lily told her Pokemon inside the Pokeball, and shrunk it.

Menma however, did something different. He jumped across the debris to reach for Bellsprout. Once the Grass type was secure, he hopped back towards his side, Chimchar yearning to see Bellsprout and congratulating its friend, just like Menma. With just a spray of a Potion and an Oran Berry, Bellsprout woke up seeing a smile on Menma and Chimchar, and the last thing Menma said, or wanting to be said for a long time, was heard before Bellsprout passed out into blissful slumber.

"You've really done it, Bellsprout, my friend. I'm proud…" The black-haired boy said, incredibly thankful and grateful that Bellsprout was strong with Menma and Chimchar. If he didn't pick up Bellsprout, he didn't know he would do. Chimchar gave a small rub on the yellow bell flower's head, knowing that it has become really strong ever since the three had been together. Since Bellsprout's finished its battle, the rest falls on the Chimp's shoulders. Mentally, the 'Fire'-type thanked Bellsprout once again, before facing the front. The black-haired Menma pulled out the Pokeball and Bellsprout returned inside its haven. Now it was just one on one, and who knows that Daisy has up her sleeve (assuming she has one theoretically).

"Menma. Thank you for letting me face you in a Pokemon battle." Lily thanked the boy, bowing her head on the tall diving board. Menma nodded back in respect, but now wasn't the time to dwell on the past battles.

Time to face the finale.

**.o0o.**

"I don't believe it… Bellsprout managed to create a draw against the Starmie…" Neji said in disbelief, his eyes widened at the outcome of the power struggle a couple of minutes ago. Fate should have decided that Starmie would win, no matter the outcome, but despite the odds, Bellsprout returned it all with interest.

"Wow… The will to never give up… Menma really is strong!" Damian muttered to himself, absolutely in awe of the sheer willpower Bellsprout has shown. However, his muttering caught Neji's personal attention.

"What are you talking about?! Bellsprout should have fainted! It probably has been luck that Menma escaped fate's grasp for a split-second, but it was luck! Pure luck!" Neji sputtered. However, this caught some of the Rookies glaring at him. Suddenly, Hinata stood up and walked right in front of her arrogant ass of a cousin, and had what could be the angriest face he has seen on her. Enough to make him wince a little.

"Neji…! Menma is stronger than he looks! You shouldn't belittle him, knowing that you can't win like that! Your 'Fate' has blinded you!" Hinata berated Neji like a schoolboy. Of course, the boy was stubborn with his mindset.

"That's the thing, Hinata! He shouldn't have won! What could have happened out there that I was so 'blinded' of?" Neji argued back with an irritated face, until his expression changed into one of shock. From what, you may ask? The person in front of him. Hinata taking a stand against Neji of all things that has happened. And it has never happened before too!

"He never gives up, no matter what! Unlike you, Neji!" She snapped back with an uncharacteristically aggravated tone, then turned on her heel and sat back down, leaving Neji to freeze in his spot for a minute.

"I've never thought I would see that side of you, Hinata." Shino remarked to Hinata, who had a tired face from releasing all the words inside of her. She felt a little relieved, but also a little empty. Why though…?

"U-Um…. Does it scare you?" She asked, worried that it might scare away her friends. However, Shino's head shaking left and right made her sigh in relief.

"No. It isn't healthy to keep stress within you. It is most logical that you did that." Shino replied, a little glad that Hinata has opened up, even if it was a little violent.

"Thanks Shino…" She mumbled, and turned her head towards the field.

**.o0o.**

"I'm surprised you made it this far, Menma." Daisy congratulated. She knew that it wasn't a small feat to getting this far against her. Against a 3 versus 1, Menma was probably the most competent, especially after seeing Lily fight so strongly. Seriously when did she get so strong?

"Thank you. So that means you are my next opponent?" Menma asked.

"Yes. You can call me Daisy, the oldest of the Sensational Sisters." She said, almost in an authoritative tone, almost like the sister who takes the responsibility of her younger sisters.

"So you're the toughest one, huh? I hope you still remember our deal." He reminded the three, and it made them wince a little.

It WAS the last day before their three year contract is up.

"Don't forget about yours too, boy!" Violet violently (hah) shot back in an angered tone. Menma pretended that she did not exist, and kept his gaze at Daisy.

"I hope your Pokemon are ready to fight, Daisy." Menma called out, as Daisy gripped her ball tightly. Chimchar, who was on Menma's shoulder, hopped onto the floor. They were just done finishing up the repairs on the battlefield, with new platforms and normal water level.

"This is the final match! Challenger! Leader! Choose your Pokemon!" The ref announced, catching the attention of the audience. This is going to be good.

"I already have him out! Chimchar!" Lifting and thrusting his arm almost like he was pointing his fingers in front of him, Chimchar jumped off of the ledge of the pool, and hopped onto the platforms. It took its usual fighting stance, with one hand behind its lower back, and another on its front, with palm facing Chimchar. Whatever the Pokemon awaiting inside, Chimchar will be ready.

Daisy however, looked like she was in a trance. She had a different coloured ball in her hands, which was blue with red stripes. She looked like she was contemplating whether or not to summon it onto the field. It has never been… tested in a real life battle yet.

Lily looked to her sister, who was just staring at the ball. Her expression was shadowed by Daisy's blonde hair, but there was something in her expression. It wasn't just contemplation, but it had a tinge of… fear? Suddenly, Daisy looked towards Menma down below her, with eyes that had the will and drive to battle burning bright. This was something she cannot lose.

"I'm sorry, Menma, but I can't afford to lose this! Not after what's in stake! Pokeball, go!" She cried out, a little worried on what's inside, but nevertheless, she's confident. Menma widened his eyes as a bright flash of light took place and shape of what's possibly the largest Pokemon one has ever seen. The entire crowd looked shocked at the blue scales, yellow underbelly, dorsal fins and ginormous serpent-like body. Its head, however, was a different story. It has a three-pointed, dark blue crest on its head, its mouth is very large and gaping and it bore four canine teeth. It has one barbel on each side of its face.

'_For Misty! For my family!'_

Menma's mouth went dry as he saw the atrocity in front of him, while Chimchar became pale for a second. However, it's not going to back down. It's time to test its limits.

"GO, GYARADOS!"

The battle has begun!

* * *

**(1) OH SNAP!  
**

**(2) 140,000,000,000 Slam fist away when he comes to you.**

**(3)When people say 'Secret Move', it usually means that Naruto doesn't want people to know the name of the move, whether through name or actions, so he stuck with anonymity. Think of Menma yelling "SECRET MOVE!".**

* * *

**I know I'm long overdue, but I don't care! It's another chapter, yet broken into two parts! Sorry it took so long, but midterms and final exams are gonna be a pain in the fanny! I also started another story known as Curse of Hatred, an Infinite Stratos anime/manga (Season 1 was alright, but Season 2 was horrible), so if you want to check it out, go for it! **

**Anyway, something I wanna add. I'm not proud of this chapter. I honestly think I laid it a bit too think in the beginning and not enough room in the end. I can't write for a long time, plus I am tired as all hell! I even think that the battle could have been done better! Blah...**

* * *

**Reviewer Responses:**

**withdranwnmadness000: You gained a cookie! Yeah Violet being a bitch as always.**

**ivan0061509: I hope this got your blood pumping for more. Now you know more~**

**NinjaFang1331: Yes I did add Jessie, James and Meowth! However, they will not be the primary antagonists for the Kanto region.**

**Bptex: Glad you're excited. Hope this does more than satisfies you!**

**suntan140: Nah... you're missing the whole point of the run, silly!**

**Guest: I understand that you want to have just 6 Pokemon, and I would have agreed to it, but I feel like the battles could be a little more diversified if the Pokemon was more diverse in terms of species rather than just a group of six. But Porygon! Man, why didn't I think of that? Also, Danzo won't appear in this region. He'll appear though, someday, somehow. Sai will be getting an earlier appearance, probably more sooner than you think.**

**From The Depths Of Fear: Hope this is up to your standards!**

**Jon boy: Awww I'm flattered~**

** 016: I already have a water-type decided. You should probably read my Author's Notes in each chapter. I think I mentioned it already. I'm just not going to explain who though. Magikarp would have been my choice if it weren't for this one, actually. I appreciate the choice, and I'm still open for choices for Pokemon, but they will have to go through me first.**

** (First): No Legendaries. Too OP. Pseudos are not welcome either. Shinies are a different story however. No he won't find a shiny Jirachi. The end will not be for a long long time. (Next) I was debating whether or not Ash might appear. I think my opinion changed when I added Team Rocket in the mix, so you'll see. (Third) See above.  
**


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